The Alchemist: Legacy
by Lethal Trinity
Summary: The story of Damien Kelmore, a muggleborn alchemist, and Ashley Selwyn, daughter to a pureblood family. This story follows the trials and times of a couple whose lives changed the day they met. From school, to dealing with blood purist psychopaths and much more! ALL CHAPTERS ARE POSTED THIS BOOK IS COMPLETE! Book 1 of The Alchemist Series by Trinity and Night (Collabo)
1. Chapter 1: First Days

**Authors**

**Allen Sanchez and Keiyani Ismilda**

**Disclaimer**

**We do not own the Harry Potter Universe, nor do we try to. We, however, do own the original characters in this story and hope that you enjoy it. If you copy it without permission, try and call it your own, I will hunt you down like a deer and take you in, in a bag.**

**Enjoy.**

"Seventh year at last! Can you believe it?"

Ashley Selwyn turned to her brother, who shrugged noncommittally. She rolled her grey-blue eyes and shoved him gently. "C'mon, Aaron! Get excited! One more year, and we're free!"

Aaron grimaced. "I can't wait to be out of here," he grunted, eyeing his sister as she continued to chatter excitedly.

Ashley's dark brown curls bobbed merrily around her shoulders, cascading down to the middle of her back, as she allowed a little skip to her step. They were almost to the Great Hall, where she would soon reunite with her old classmates. "I think being in Slytherin has taken all the fun out of you," she pouted.

"And being in Ravenclaw has done wonders for you too, sis," Aaron said sarcastically. Ashley looked hurt, and Aaron sighed. "Fine...I guess I am a little excited. One more year, and I'm off to make a future for myself! No more listening to Mum nag at us..."

"And no more you and Father arguing," Ashley said impishly, eyes sparkling. Aaron chuckled, and nodded, as they entered the Great Hall. "Have fun, dearest brother," Ashley called after her brother in a mocking tone.

"See ya 'round, Ash!" he called over his shoulder.

Ashley giggled at her brother's pet name for her, then quieted, becoming her usual, quiet self, as she approached the Ravenclaws. Only with her brother could she become truly animated. To everyone else, she was the quiet Ravenclaw, with a surprisingly Slytherin-like wit and humor. Sure, she had her moments of bright happiness, but she had learned to trust herself and herself only, due to a home life that no one knew about. Still, she managed to remain fairly well-liked amongst her fellow Ravenclaws, and even amongst a few other students, namely a few boys from both Slytherin and Gryffindor.

Currently, she was dating Jonathan Harvis, a Gryffindor, who was busy trying to get her attention, as she walked past. She gave him a brief smile, and a little wave, after which he seemed satisfied. She quickly made her way to her usual seat at the Ravenclaw table, where she was greeted by her friends, as the doors to the Great Hall opened once more.

It was the 7th year of school; last year and that was it. It wasn't like he needed to be there this year, but because his mentor and colleague had asked it of him, he couldn't refuse. At least he got to choose the school in which he got to go to. That much was important to him; Durmstrang, as much as it was his home, he had hated with a passion. People there were so uptight about who was there. He was Muggleborn (though there was knowledge that somewhere deep in his family history, there was a wizard) and all he had to look forward to was this last year of school before he go to active alchemist service.

"What are you doing here amongst the first years?" Said Professor Dumbledore, a man who looked to have seen some better days. He pulled down his half-moon spectacles and eyed the boy standing tall amongst his younger classmates, "You should be in the Great Hall with the rest of your class mates."

The boy stood at attention, the black military uniform he wore made him stand out more, making him feel self-conscious, "Sir. I'm the transfer student from Durmstrang under the orders of the Ministry of Magic." He relaxed a little as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather bound notebook and handed it to him, "My name is Damien Kelmore, sir. My mentor, Ethan Minsk is a new teacher here. Headmaster Dippet already knows I'm here. I still have to be sorted into a class sir."

"Why didn't you just choose one yourself? These orders state you could have."

Damien shrugged, causing one of the bangs of his whitish-grey hair to fall in front of him. He moved the bang and tucked it underneath those that were pulled back already, "I just needed to make this place feel more like home, sir." To this, Dumbledore nodded in agreement and waved towards the door, "very well. Please proceed forward then, into the Great Hall. Mr. Kelmore, please lead the group." Damien nodded and shifted forward, his gait being a little off balance due to nervousness. He looked down each table with crystal blue eyes, catching the eyes of his fellow classmates, who were curious about the new comer that was just mention. He stopped just short of the steps to the podium, watching Professor Dumbledore lean over to the Headmaster and hand him the papers that Damien handed to him.

Time for the Sorting.

Ashley's eyes fell curiously on a tall figure striding along in front of the first years, and she felt Meghan Ivans, her best friend, prod her in the side. "New transfer student?" Meghan asked in a whisper. Ashley shrugged, as she studied the boy, with his piercing blue gaze and dark hair.

Damien's eyes scanned the room once more, coming across a variety of students, who all looked at him in all his odd demeanor. He began to feel a bit nervous and warm in his suit. Stupid suit... he didn't even want to wear it. His father made him and with great resentment he did. He shifted in place for a moment before his eyes fell upon Ashley's slender form. He felt a wave of fuzziness wash over him. Enough to distract him from the fact that Headmaster Dippet had called him twice with no response. The sound of Minsk's voice snapped him back to reality as his name rang in his ears, "Damien! Fool, you need to pay attention. You're up to be sorted."

"Sorry sir," he said as burning red embarrassment singed his face hard. He gave the girl one more quick look and a smile before stepping up to the chair and felt the hat slowly get sat on his head, feeling it spring to life. The gruff voice of the hat echoed throughout the Great Hall, "Ah, yes. A brilliant mind. Full of potential. Amazing courage and intellect, but what defines you is your craft... a darkness rests inside of you boy. A power that must be nurtured and trimmed to fruition. Better be... Slytherin!"

Several of the Slytherins gave loud whoops, drowning out the sounds of disappointment from the Gryffindors, a few who had gotten into a conversation with the boy and found him interesting. Damien stood up from the stool and walked over to the table, shaking hands with his new housemates, then plopping a seat down next to Aaron.

"He's eyeing you," Meghan teased in a low whisper. Ashley shot a scowl at her friend, feeling her cheeks burn. Sure enough, the new student was looking at her...and he'd smiled at her! With some hesitance, she gave a smile in return, flashing a quick glance towards Jon, who was glaring at the new student in his audacity. Ashley sighed. She'd have some damage control to do later.

Aaron had also witnessed the smile from the boy - Damien Kelmore was his name - and his eyes had narrowed. He never liked it when anyone eyed his younger sister - younger by three minutes, as she would argue - and though he wouldn't admit it, he did feel rather protective of her. So when Damien sat down next to him, he leaned over to him. "Do you randomly smile at any pretty girl you see?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "Name's Aaron Selwyn...and that's my sister you just smiled at."

Damien looked over to the boy next to him, giving a slight chuckle, "No, only the ones that really intrigue me. Damien Kelmore. I'll stop staring at what I can't have then?" He offered him a hand, watching as other students got sorted."

Aaron glanced at Damien. "Oh, by all means, stare at her...if you dare. You'll have to get around Jonathan somehow though...actually, that might not be such a daunting task...and if you're not Pureblood, forget it! My father would have a fit if he found out Ashley was dating anyone that wasn't Pureblood." He rolled his eyes. Meanwhile, Ashley was still being teased by Meghan, who was now joined by Zach, a sixth year who thought he was nature's gift to women and who would never stop pursuing the seventh year girls.

"He keeps staring," Zach whispered conspiratorially.

"Don't you have something better to do than stare at other people," Ashley asked, annoyed. Zach pretended to be affronted.

"I am not staring..."

"Coulda fooled me..."

"I just don't like others staring at my future wife..."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Oh please...I'd never marry you...and just so you know, I'm still dating Jon..."

"I can hope, can't I?"

Damien shifted uneasily in his chair for moment, once again chuckling nervously, "yeah... Pureblood. I guess I've got nothing to worry about if I ever do want to take a chance with her." He looked back up front, seeing Zach whispering something to Ashley and watching her get annoyed, "Is that Jonathan? Seems a little... stalker-ish, no?"

Across from Zach sat the 7th year Quidditch captain, Mason. He was tempted to pick up his goblet to chuck at Zach, but was afraid of hitting Ashley, "Seriously Zach, sit the hell down and shut the hell up! You may be a real "Don Juan" but that's probably why the ladies don wannabe with you..." He said with an annoyed tinge in his words, "Ashley, maybe you should get your brother to step in, because this guy is ridiculous."

"Nah, that's Zach. He thinks he is the hottest thing in Hogwarts...not Ashley's type, though he'd like to think so. No, Jonathan's over there." Aaron nodded towards the Gryffindor, who at that moment laughed at something someone said. The boy flipped his dirty blonde hair from deep blue eyes, and glanced over at Ashley. "He's not that bad, but he's stubborn as a mule. Jealous type too. He knows that several others have their sights set on her. He's afraid of the competition. You still have a chance though." Aaron glanced at Damien.

Ashley laughed at Mason's pun. "I'd ask Aaron to step in, but that would only prove his point that I can't take care of myself." She smirked. "Maybe you can get him off of my back..."

"Hey! I'm right here you know..." Zach complained.

He nodded with a smug smile across his face, "It's good to know I at least have a chance. Normally I never get that." He smiled as another student was put into Slytherin House. He looked across the way to Jonathan and snorted, "That's Jon? He's not that bad of a guy. I was talking to him on the train."

Headmaster Dippet waved a hand, quieting down the rest of the students, "Now... For a special treat. A member from each house may be selected to take part in a tournament of wit, skills and knowledge. If you were interested in trying for this position, please submit your names to your Heads of House by Saturday evening. Now... since all announcements have been made, the feast can begin!" With another wave of his hand, the tables were magically set with loads of food.

Aaron studied Jonathan. "He wasn't that bad before you smiled at my sister. Now he's sure to be a bit wary around you. Definitely not as friendly as before." As the Headmaster stood, he looked over, excitement hidden by his calm features. "I'm definitely putting my name in. What can it hurt? I probably won't be chosen...but at least I can say I tried!" He grinned. "And if I do get in? I'll make Slytherin proud."

The Following Morning

Professor Dumbledore in the middle of the hallways, handing out the class schedules for the Gryffindors, next to Professor Slughorn, the Defense Against The Dark Arts Teacher and Head of Slytherin House. Damien felt refreshed after a night of getting to know his classmates and young debauchery. One student woke up and had to go to the Hospital Wing... really sad. Next to Damien was Aaron, who was getting ready to turn in his name for consideration of the tournament being held at the school. He had talked Damien into turning in his own name. Walking to Slughorn, he gave his name and waited for his scroll of classes. Off of the corner of his eye, a beauty was caught walking with some friends of hers; his eyes seemed to just stay locked on her.

"You might want to keep your eyes in your head. Jonathan is right there..."

Ashley was glad to be back in Hogwarts. She gave a beaming smile to her own Head of House as she received her schedule, and turned to compare it to Meghan's. Suddenly, she felt an arm wrap around her waist. "Hey, Ash," the familiar voice crooned in her ear.

"Jon!" she exclaimed happily. "It's great to see you again!" She hadn't seen him the previous night, having been caught up in the back-to-school celebration in Ravenclaw. Nothing like homework to excite her fellow Housemates. Her eyes caught the gaze of another student, standing next to her brother. Damien Kelmore, the new student. She allowed a brief smile to play across her lips in his direction, before she turned her attention back to the Gryffindor in front of her.

Jon didn't miss the smile, however, and he turned to look over his shoulder with a curious glance. Curiosity became a scowl, and he glared at the newcomer. "Why'd you smile at him?" he asked, turning back to Ashley.

"Oh come now, I was just trying to be friendly," she argued, exasperated. Honestly, what was with boys and being possessive?

"And last night, you were being friendly too?"

"Yes! Just let it go, Jon. I can smile at whomever I please." Ashley tossed her hair. Her boyfriend scowled again.

"But I don't like it when other guys ogle you. Your smiling at them doesn't help!"

"Let Aaron beat up the others then. You don't need to." She put a finger against his lips to silence any other response he had, and she gave him a smile. "Now, shall we enjoy today or not?"

Jon sighed, a reluctant smile on his face. "Yes. Oh, I signed up for the tournament!"

"Did you?" Ashley beamed. "You'd do well if you were chosen. I just know it!"

Aaron grimaced at Jon, after the Gryffindor had turned back to Ashley. "No guy is worth my sister's time," he grumbled. With a quick glance to Damien, he spluttered, "I mean...not that it's any of my concern...I mean, she's just my sister...it's her decision...oh whatever." He jerked his head towards Jonathan. "Well, as you can see, he's not too friendly with the competition. Better not let him catch my sister smiling at you again...Get her to smile when he's not around."

A wicked gleam appeared in his eye.

"Actually...I think I'll help you steal her from Jon...never really liked him anyways...I'd rather she dated a Pureblood Slytherin." He glanced at Jon again. "You're a better match than he is..." With a chuckle, he looked at his class

"Even if the guy is a bit of a tool, I don't want to steal anyone from anyone. It's just not fair I think for all parties involved..." He looked to Aaron, then back to Ashley, "I mean look at her, does it really matter who she's with? I think it's about how happy she is with whoever she is with." He handed over a slip of paper to Slughorn with his name on it for the tournament and started back for the hallways to go to his first class, which happened to follow past Ashley.

Aaron shrugged. "Suit yourself. I figured you, as a Slytherin, would jump at the chance." He chuckled, then handed his own name to Slughorn, before glancing at the couple. "Still, she's always happy with whoever she dates. Then he ends up being a jerk, and she keeps a stiff upper lip about it, and they break up, then she finds another guy. It's the same cycle. If you were the same way, being a jerk and all, then I'd have to beat you up, just like I did with the other guys." His tone was almost cheerful, mocking, as he said this. "Anyways, ever heard that saying, 'all's fair in love and war'? Well, I assume that means everything is fair game, even stealing the girl!" He headed along with Damien as they passed the group.

"Hey, Ash," he called with a mischievous glance towards Damien. "Have you met Damien yet?"

Damien leaned into Aaron and jabbed him in the ribs, whispering into his ear really quickly, "Go piss on yourself, Aaron."

His sister looked over as he called her name, and she glanced warily towards Jonathan. "No, I hadn't," she said cautiously. The Gryffindor's look was dark, but he didn't comment, as she walked towards her brother.

"Hi, I'm Ashley," she said warmly, deciding to ignore Jon for the time being and extending her hand in greeting. "I'm sorry you had the misfortune of my brother being your company at the moment. Watch out for him; he's a grouch in the morning."

"Hi there..." He said a bit nervously with a smile. He gave Aaron a look and chuckled a little, "I'll make sure to stay away from him in the mornings then. Hate to interrupt here, but it seems that someone over there isn't too happy." He motioned his head towards Jonathan, who was now fuming.

"No more than you are," Aaron retorted. "Damien and I are signing up for the tournament. Isn't that right?" He nudged Damien. His sister immediately looked concerned.

"Oh, do be careful, Aaron! Mother and Father would kill me if you were hurt."

"I look out for you, not the other way around," Aaron sniffed. His sister glared at him.

"Hey, Aaron. I think I should get going to class. I got Potions first, so best I try and figure out where I'm going. Maybe you and I can catch up some other time, Ashley?"

Aaron wore an amused grin on his face, cheerfully ignoring Damien's newfound 'hatred'. "I'm off to Charms. See ya later, Damien, Ash." His sister nodded a goodbye to him, before glancing back at Jon. She gave him a look, and his scowl softened as he came up and put his arms around her. "See you at Transfiguration," he said, kissing her hair, and giving Damien a subtle glare as he did so.

"See you," Ashley replied happily, smiling at his embrace. He left then, reluctant to leave with her being anywhere near Damien. Oblivious to this, Ashley smiled winningly at said newcomer. "I have Potions right now too," she said cheerfully. "Aaron's not taking Potions, or he'd be here too, but I can take you there. Ravenclaws and Slytherins share this period." She waved at Meghan as the girl passed, before again addressing Damien. "We'd better go...don't want to be late on the first day!"

Damien scratched his head nervously after he tried to grab Aaron to keep him from leaving him alone with his sister. He was almost reluctant to incur the wrath of Jonathan, who headed towards his class. He turned back to Ashley and gave her a sloppy grin and shrugged, "yeah sure. So I'm guessing you've been here from your first year? Not too many students transfer from school to school often like I did. By the way, does your boyfriend seem a little... you know agitated?"

Several students all gave Damien a look; some of admiration, others of contempt (all of these were Gryffindors).

Ashley nodded, smiling back. "Yeah, I've been here since first year. Mother was pleased that I took after her, getting into Ravenclaw and all that, but Father was upset. Guess having Aaron as a Slytherin wasn't enough." She shrugged cheerfully, but her smile faded at the mention of Jonathan.

"Yeah, he's a little upset, I guess you could say," she said slowly. "You see...he's the jealous type. Hates it when I associate with others of the male species." Ashley snorted softly. "The last girlfriend he had is now his ex-best friend's girlfriend. I'm sure I don't need to explain what happened. Anyways, he's been a bit...annoying, lately, with this jealousy thing. I'm not the kind of girl to go flirting with every other guy. If I like a guy, then that means I feel he is worth my time. I don't know why he can't see that!"

She smiled sheepishly. "Here I am, burdening you with all my female thoughts, and I've only just met you. Sorry about that." Ashley glanced at a pack of Gryffindors as they passed, a few shooting Damien a dark look. She narrowed her eyes at them, and they hurriedly averted their gaze. Honestly, with all of their loyalty to Jonathan, they ought to have been Hufflepuffs! She sighed inwardly, thinking, It's so troublesome, to date a Gryffindor! But she wouldn't abandon Jon.

Damien smiled as they continued down the hall, "I don't mind. It's nice to be able to talk to someone who isn't all about the purity of your wizarding blood or how strong you are. Other things matter in life, just no one seems to see it." He pushed his way past a few girls who just stood in the middle of the walk way, "Most men are just slow in that sense, Ash. If you don't mind me calling you Ash, do you?"

Ashley wrinkled her nose. "Oh, don't get me started about the purity crap." She made a face. "Father is all about Purebloods and why they are superior, but me...I really don't care. A witch is a witch, a wizard is a wizard. Being a Muggleborn doesn't make you a Muggle. You're still a wizard." She huffed, then glanced at Damien.

"You may call me Ash," she said slowly, "But you might want to avoid doing so around Jon. He feels like it's his nickname for me. It's not, really. Actually, Aaron was the first to start calling me Ash. You might as well too." Ashley smiled. "As for men, well, we women know how slow they can be. But we try our hardest to make you understand." She laughed.

Damien nodded, "Well I can see the impact your father has on your brother then? He seems to follow after your father in that respect... I think he doesn't know I'm... well," he paused turned the corner, noticing no one was there, "that I'm Muggleborn. My father is an alchemist, my mother is just a pharmacist. We get magic from alchemy from what my father says."

Ashley glanced around, before leaning closer. "Don't let anyone hear that," she hissed softly. "If Aaron finds out...or if any of the Slytherins do...they'll be more than upset...Aaron and his friends might just kill you for trying to befriend me." Her eyes were worried. "Like I said, I don't care...but if Aaron catches you even smiling at me, he'll take it the wrong way! For now, just pretend you're Pureblood..."

She sighed. "Aaron is very much like Father, when it comes to this nonsense about blood purity. I guess that's why he went into Slytherin, and I went into Ravenclaw. Mother isn't as bad, but even she is slightly disdainful about Muggleborns." Ashley's eyes were apologetic. "It's stupid, really. I think Muggleborns are perfectly fine. Actually, the Muggleborns I know are better witches and wizards than some Purebloods!"

Damien sighed, stopping to lean against the wall. He never really liked those who were against the Muggleborns. He found it quite comforting to find someone who didn't really care about purity though, as all the other schools he'd ever been to had had plenty of them, "I'll make sure to keep playing along. I think he's under the impression that I'm pureblooded. I don't want to start any problems here... I've had too many at the other schools."

Ashley nodded in understanding. "It's best if you continue keeping the wool pulled over his eyes," she agreed. "I love my brother, but I worry for him sometimes. This obsession with purity...it can't be healthy! It'll get him into trouble sometime..."

She turned towards a wooden door. "Here we are, Potions. One of my favorite classes." She grinned at Damien, as she moved towards the door. "See you later then?"

He gave her a quizzical look, "We have this class together remember? Let's just survive this class so we can move on to the next class."

Ashley looked embarrassed. "Well, I was going to sit with the other Ravenclaws. I don't think the Professor will mind if we sat together today though. I can help you find what you need." She nodded, satisfied. "Yeah. I can help you survive today."


	2. Chapter 2: Love and Quidditch

The sounds of students eating were getting a little hard on the ear, but Damien tried to push it all out of his mind. Today was the day that Headmaster Dippet was announcing the chosen students going to compete in this secret tournament. The timing for it was a bit inopportune as they tryouts for the new Quidditch players was not too long after. Everyone will be hyper and out of focus, well as far as Slytherin's go.

Damien, who had just started to get the swing of how the school worked and where everything was had only to thank Aaron Selwyn's sister, Ashley. Despite most of the warnings from friends of her's to avoid her whenever Jon is around, he risked it every now and again just to keep up something he thought was going great, as a friend. At one point, Jon wanted to say something about it, but that quickly fell short as teachers or other Housemates would come along.

Damien stepped into the Great Hall, getting the usual evil glances from Jon and his friends and the beckons of his peers on the Slytherin table. He quickly scanned the table for Aaron, spotting him almost immediate; upon walking that direction, he made it a point to pass by Ashley who sat in the usual seat with her Ravenclaw Housemates, "Hey Ash"

To say she was excited was an understatement. She was worried as well, worried that Aaron's name would be drawn as the Slytherin competitor for the Tournament. But it didn't dampen her spirits, as she chatted animatedly with Meghan, who was currently rolling her eyes.

"I don't see what the appeal is," Meghan sighed. Ashley gave her an incredulous glance.

"It's Quidditch! The best game ever invented! I don't know which position to try out for though..."

At that moment, she heard a familiar voice. "Hey, Damien," Ashley greeted cheerfully. "Tell me, should I try out for Seeker or Chaser?"

Her eyes sparkled merrily as Meghan groaned.

"You'd better help her decide. Soon! I'm sick of her talking about Quidditch!" Ashley huffed, and glanced at her friend.

"Some people just don't appreciate the important things in life," she grumbled.

He placed a hand on Meghan's shoulder and nodded, "I got this." He sat down facing the opposite direction right next to Ashley. He reached over his shoulder and grabbed a piece of toast, "Well honestly, you're just joining now? I think if you've got the reflexes for it, I would go with as a Seeker. That's what I played at Durmstrang. That and Keeper."

He took a bite out of his toast and turned to Meghan, "how can you not like Quidditch? It's so much fun!"

"I've played as Chaser since second year, and dropped Quidditch for fifth and sixth, since O.W.L.'s began to take over my life. I decided I might as well start up again, for my last year. Aaron and I practiced at home all the time, and I know I've got the reflexes...and Ravenclaw needs a Seeker...our last one graduated last year." Ashley shrugged. "I don't know...Maybe I'll just try out for Seeker. Chaser was fun, but I need something new..." She grinned.

Meghan rolled her eyes. "Flying in and of itself is great," she half-agreed. "But Quidditch...it's so violent! Ashley, I've lost count of how many broken bones you've had, playing as Chaser...all those bludgers, and other players zipping around, and with Beaters trying to knock you off your broom..." She shook her head. "So not for me!" Ashley sighed.

"But, Meg, its fun! Think of the thrills! The adrenaline that courses through you, as you avoid getting hit...so fun!" She laughed, nudging her friend.

"By the gods, I'm not the only person here who enjoys that too! Go for Seeker. I would love to see you play." Damien said with another bite of toast. He finished chewing and lifted his hand towards the Quidditch captain of Slytherin, "I'm going for Seeker too, so this would be fun if we both get the position."

Headmaster Dippet stepped up to his podium and cleared his throat, "Very well. Please return to your seats if you are up and about. We are going to announce the Champions for the school tournament." Damien gave Ashley a wink and nudge her gently, "I'll catch you in a bit then? I can't wait to see whose gonna get chosen."

Ashley smirked. "I'd hate to have to beat you soundly though," she teased. "But I think I will. Thanks!"

Meghan rolled her eyes dramatically. "Yes, thank you for shutting her up." Both girls waved goodbye to Damien, then turned to watch Headmaster Dippet.

"If Aaron gets chosen, Mother and Father will kill me if he gets hurt," Ashley muttered.

Damien chuckled a little, "You beat me? Right. I'll see you around in a bit."

Headmaster Dippet waited as Damien sat down next to Aaron and a couple of other students were catching their seats. Once he was happy with everyone sitting down he started again, "Now for the Slytherins: Aaron Selwyn.

Aaron's eyes opened in surprise as he heard his name. "No way? Yes!"

He wore a smug grin on his face, as some of his Housemates cheered and congratulated him. He glanced at his sister and caught her worried glare, before leaning towards Damien.

"Ash is gonna murder me," he breathed.

Ashley wasn't happy. "Why Aaron?" she seethed. "He's too reckless for his own good! He's only going to get himself killed!"

Meghan patted her shoulder. "He's brave and skillful though. He can take care of himself." She winked at Ashley. "He'll be the catch of the girls now...perhaps you can help me get to know him better, you know, help a friend get her foot in the door?" Ashley gave her a disgusted look.

"This is my brother you're talking about," she said, making a face,"And don't waste your time...I'm going to kill him anyways." Ashley fired a glare at her brother.

Damien cheered Aaron on, leaning into him, "Oh yeah... I would avoid her for a while if I were you." The headmaster waved for the boy to come up front and Damien gave Aaron a push.

Headmaster Dippet waved a hand to calm everyone down then spoke again, "The Ravenclaw Champion is, Meghan Bannister."

Aaron wore a stunned expression on his face, and he glanced back at Damien dazedly, as he stumbled up towards the front of the Great Hall. He flashed an apologetic, though enthusiastic, grin towards his sister, who rolled her eyes, and smiled back hesitantly.

As Meghan's name was called, Ashley whirled towards her. "You didn't tell me you'd entered!" she gasped. Meghan smiled knowingly.

"I wanted it to be a surprise if I was chosen. I can't believe they chose me though. Me!" Ashley shook her head with a laugh.

"Get up there, girl. And watch out for Aaron during the challenges. If you have the chance, cast a Stinging hex at his backside for me, will you?" Ashley winked and chuckled as Meghan nodded with a wicked smile on her face.

"The plus side to this is maybe he'll notice me now," she said cheerfully, as she flounced up the aisles towards the front.

Headmaster Dippet waited for Meghan to come up front, waving to the other students to get them to calm down. Once everyone was quiet, his booming voice rose again, "For Gryffindor, Miles Nelson." All of the Gryffindors were cheering as the nappy haired boy did a dance in between the row of tables on his way up, offering a hand to Dippet and the other challengers. Once again, Dippet quieted the kids down, "And finally, for Hufflepuff is Christian Dorff."

He waited for people to calm down once again then waved towards Professor Dumbledore so the champions could be debriefed. He set his hands down on the podium, "Now that we have our champions, they'll be back out to do any activities that were scheduled for today. Enjoy breakfast." With a quick nod, he walked back over to the teacher's table and sat down to eat some food.

Damien looked at all his Housemates, who were chattering now only about Aaron. He kicked his feet around the bench and took quick strides over to Ashley, who looked still dumbfounded by her friend's selection as a champion. Once next to her, he dropped into the seat roughly, "Hey, how are you going to kill Aaron? This might be kind of funny to watch."

Ashley clapped politely for the other champions, but she was still deep in thought. A voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and she turned to look at Damien. "Yes, Aaron is a dead man," she said with a wicked smile. "Well, I probably won't kill him, but he might want me to. He'll either die from embarrassment, or from pain. I haven't decided whether I want to embarass him with a series of pranks, or make it so he can't sit in any chair because it burns him or electrocutes him or something."

She sighed. "Mother and Father would be mad, if they found out he was risking his life in a stupid contest. They need their 'Pureblood heir' to stay alive." She rolled her eyes.

"I can't wait to see what you do to him. This'll be entertaining? If you need some help let me know. I'd be willing to throw a hand in on that." He sniggered as he once again sat down next to Ashley. He looked around kind of bored and after a moment of awkward silence, he let his words just roll off of his tongue, "do you want to take a walk with me to the pitch? Its gonna get dull in here quickly and it would be nice to get a little warm up before the tryouts today."

A girl and her friend both giggled as he asked Ashley to go outside, but he ignored it, "it would be nice to spend time with a friendly face. I can't really get along with my Housemates. They're only interested about blood relations and stuff of the like.

Ashley gave a withering glare to her fellow Housemate. Come on, hadn't they seen two friends talk about taking a stroll before? Turning back towards Damien, she quickly glanced at the Gryffindor table. Jon was busy talking to his friends, so she was free.

"Sure!" she said with a bright smile. "Sounds fun. Maybe I can convince you to leave Slytherin and join Ravenclaw." She smirked. "We don't care about blood purity, just how smart you are. For the record, I aim to crush Slytherin if I become Seeker. You guys don't stand a chance." Ashley winked, standing up. Damien nodded as he led forward, ignoring the fact that he had eyes all over him now. He turned around and trotted in pace backwards as he spoke, "If I could, I would. I honestly think if anyone found about me, I might end up being lynched or something. Being murdered isn't my idea of a good time I'd say."

They were out of the Great Hall within a matter of seconds and down the hall to where the exit towards the pitch was. Damien continued, "Regardless of whether or not you're going to crush Slytherin has nothing to do with me. You can crush Slytherin all you like, but if I'm in the air, you won't catch that Snitch. Maybe a Bludger, but never the Snitch. That is of course if I let you have it..." He said with an over-confident, smug grin."

Back inside, one of the Gryffindors ran up to Jon, who was in the middle of telling some funny joke. He stopped midsentence as the boy whispered something into his ear. For a moment, his smile lingered, then died away as he got up and walked out of the Great Hall, looking for them.

Ashley shook her head. "Some Slytherins have no shame," she murmured. An impish grin spread her lips. "I can teach them shame though...are you challenging me? I'm sure I can beat you, no problem...it'll be ME who lets you get close to the Snitch." She smirked. "I'm lighter, and therefore faster. No bludger is gonna catch me!"

Unknown to her, Jon was quietly following them, his footsteps all but inaudible. That stupid Slytherin was with HIS Ashley...and she was fine with it! Had she no loyalty? If he wasn't so head over heels with her...he'd dump her. But he couldn't do it. For now, he had to be content with followig them to find out what they were up to.

"I have notice that they have no shame. Remember, your brother is one of them." He stopped and pointed to the pitch off in the distance, "and yes. I am challanging you. Lets see what you got, little girl. Last one there gets a broken broom!" he bolted off ahead of her with great strides that would make peoples heads turn at his speed. He wasnt using his gifts of alchemy, he was just naturally fast.

A mischievous gleam appeared in Ashley's eyes. "Oh, Aaron feels shame...and I know how to shame him."

Her eyes widened, and she yelped, "No fair!", taking off after Damien. She may have shorter legs than he, but she could move them faster, and soon she had caught up, laughter following her steps. "You think...you're so...funny," she gasped between breaths. "But I'm not...that slow...size doesn't...matter..."

Behind, Jon nearly groaned with frustration as they took off running. He'd never keep up! But then the words "broken broom", and he smirked. Broken broom, eh? The Quidditch Pitch! In fact, he knew a short cut... ((Um...major typo in my response...it should have said "the words 'broken broom' floated back to him, and..." sorry. x3))

Damien ran as fast as he could, getting to the archway at the same time as Ashley. He smirked as turned around and blocked the way between the walkway and the pitch, "that doesn't count because we tied out... Next one, we'll see whose better." He turned and missed the step, tripping and falling into Ashley. He was able to catch himself and throw himself underneath Ashley holding her up as he fell flat.

"It does too count!" Ashley complained cheerfully. "I had to catch up because you cheat-oh!" She staggered as Damien tripped, but managed to - barely - keep her balance and stay upright, thanks to his holding her up. She couldn't help but giggle, saying, "See! That's what you get for cheating!"

Ashley laughed, holding out a hand so he could get up. "You okay?" she grinned, her eyes dancing with amusement at the situation. Damien laughed as he stood up, accidentally positioning himself inches from Ashley's face. He looked deep into her eyes feeling a quick flutter of embarassment flip across him.

Ashley's smile faded slightly, as she found herself staring into Damien's stunning eyes. They really were quite fascinating, come to think of it... What am I doing? she wondered, feeling slightly breathless. Suddenly, she broke eye contact, and looked down, feeling a slight blush coat her cheeks. "Um...I still think I'm going to beat you at Quidditch," she murmured, confused by her reaction as well as embarassed.

Jon had just reached the end of the shortcut, a little ways beyond them, hidden by a tree and statue. His eyes flashed with anger, as he watched them. Damien was way too close, and Ashley wasn't moving away...he squeezed his eyes shut, fighting to keep from jumping out and hexing the other boy right then and there. By the time he turned back, Ashley was stepping away. There was just enough time...had Damien kissed her? If so...he had better learn to sleep with his eyes open.

He gave a nervous chuckle and put some space between them, letting an uneasy smile play on his features. The boy shrugged and started for the broom closet, "I... I-I d-don't think so. Lets settle this, um, Ash."

"You're on," she replied softly, shocked to discover that she felt...disappointed when he moved away. For Merlin's sake, she had a boyfriend! A clingy one, yes...but she shouldn't feel this way when she had a boyfriend.

Ashley shoved her thoughts away and concentrated on getting past the awkwardness. With a teasing smirk, she rushed past Damien saying, "I'm going to get the best broom!"

He tried to catch up but she had a lead on him and the flutter in his heart was making him ache slightly. He never thought he'd have these feelings and now that he has, he almost wanted more. He came to the broom closet and reached in for the best looking one, but because Ashley had beat him there, it was too late. He kicked the grass and let off a few choice explatives, then grabbed the next best broom, which didn't look so great. He grabbed the ball case and dragged it out, looking at Ashley to help him lift it, "Ok, you win that round. I'll get you up there. Give me a hand will ya?"

Ashley turned around to wink at him. "You so sure you can beat me now?" she teased, an innocent expression on her face. She laughed, before reaching over to help Damien lift the ball case. Her other hand kept hold of the broom, and she shifted her hand nervously, as her fingers accidently brushed his. "Um...so, release the Snitch and count to ten before taking off?" she asked, shifting her gaze away.

Damien blushed too as her fingers brushed his and for a moment, the same feeling of disappointment that had washed over Ash now did for him. He agreed with a shrug and walked to the center of the pitch, looking at Ash with some anticipation, "I'm ready whenever you are, Ash. I still don't think you're going to win."

Ashley, while he hadn't been looking, had undone the clasp and reached into the ball case and pulled out the Snitch. She had glanced at him innocently, while releasing the Snitch from behind her back. After ten seconds, she pretended to look down at her broom. "Well, maybe you'll win...but I know something you don't know..."

In a flash, she was on her broom and soaring away. "You aren't the only one who doesn't play fairly," she laughed, her words called over her shoulder. "I released the Snitch ten seconds ago, like promised!"

With a grin, she sat on her broom, waiting for Damien to fly up after her, all the while looking around for a flash of gold, or anything that might hint towards the Snitch's location.

Damien dropped the case and looked at her in amazement, almost happy she did. If she wasn't taken, this would be the woman of his dreams... or maybe she already was. He pushed these thoughts aside as he kicked the case open and released the bludgers and kicked off quickly to start flying, "I can make it harder."

He quickly jilted left and climbed as he banked across the field looking for the Snitch, trying to keep away from the bludgers.

Ashley hadn't seen Damien release the bludgers, so it startled her when one zipped past her head. She chuckled to herself, feeling as though this was perfect. Jon didn't do anything like this. No, he kept insisting on trying to see how far he could go with her, or staring at her for hours. But she had always stopped him at making out. She wasn't sure she really wanted to be with that kind of guy. He might dump her after one night. So it was a relief to meet a guy who was willing to chill out and play a good game of catch the Snitch.

Her thoughts were broken, as she suddenly spotted a flash of gold. Wheeling right, to avoid another bludger, she took off, occasionally wavering in her course to hopefully confuse Damien as to her destination. All the while, her gaze was fixed on the tiny spot of gold.

Damien watched as Ashley's eyes caught on to the Snitch and that she was hot on its trail now. He followed parallel to her as she wavered, but kept on the search until it was glinting in his eyes now too. He banked hard right and angled down, watching her from below. A bludger came very close to striking him, but gladly missed as he shift and climbed hard into Ashley, trying to throw her off course as he reached for the Snitch, which now evaded him. He braked hard and doubled back hoping to find it again.

She was reaching for the Snitch when Damien suddenly threw himself into her, and she mistakenly looked towards him. "Foul!" she cried cheerfully. She glanced towards where she'd seen the Snich last and huffed in frustration. Nowhere. She swerved to avoid a bludger, and her eyes widened. There was a bludger coming from behind Damien, at a high enough speed to possibly knock him from his broom!

She dove for him, crashing into him just in time to throw them both out of its path. She gave him a sheepish grin as her eyes locked onto another glint of gold and she darted off.

Damien looked at her as he was pushed out of the warpath, giving her a snide look as he tried to catch up. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the second bludger on a direct course for Ashley and he accelerated right into her, pushing her out of the way, but taking the bludger to the shoulder. He got tossed off of his broom and was sent hurtling towards the earth.

Ashley felt another shove, and was about to protest that she had in fact just saved his butt, when she noticed him fall from his broom. She gasped, and dove for him, stretching out her hand. Come on...come on... She put on a burst of speed, praying that the broom would be fast enough.

It was, and she managed to latch onto his arm. But the sudden weight increased caused the broom to dip, and she reared back on the broom with a muttered curse. She braked, hard, finally slowing their descent. Straining, she attempted to pull him up onto her broom, saying, "Thanks, but you didn't need to try to kill yourself in the process!"

"You're right I didn't, but it was well worth it. Besides, I snagged this while I was at it." He opened up his hand and held out the Snitch in front of her, while his other arm was now wrapped around her waist.

Ashley's eyes grew wide, and she scowled, half turning around to smack him on the shoulder lightly. "Not fair," she grumbled. "I nearly kill myself in the process of trying to keep you from killing yourself, and you still catch the Snitch." She pouted. "Not fair at all."

A small smile quirked at her lips. "But I'm still a better flyer...you may have caught the Snitch this time, but next time..." She laughed at the 'ominous' promise, as she directed the broom towards his, which was still hovering where he'd left it. "We'd better collect all of the bludgers, then." She grimaced.

Below, Jon had seen Damien's fall, and he'd felt a sort of mean pleasure at the sight. Maybe Damien would get injured, and have to leave Hogwarts...nope. Ashley had saved him. Damn it. He scowled, as his girlfriend pulled the competition - yes, he was jealous - onto her broom, a position which required the placement of an arm around her waist. She never let him do that...of course, they never went flying together either. Well fine. If she wants someone to play Quidditch with, then it will be me, not him.

Damien winced as she hit his shoulder, "Ahh! That's my shoulder that got hit... No need to be mean here. I just saved your life. Fine. Next time, maybe I'll let you catch the Snitch." Once they came close to his broom, he put the Snitch in his pocket and jumped over to his broom, avoiding a bludger as he went down to the ball case to get ready to catch it.

Ashley snorted. "Don't be silly. You've been hit by bludgers before, haven't you?" Her eyes softened, and she touched a finger to her lips, then touched his injured shoulder with it. "There. Ouchie all better?" She smiled warmly, before saying, "And for the record, I was the first to save your life...then you saved mine...then I saved yours. So technically, I'm one up." She laughed, ducking as another bludger whirled over her head. "Merlin, let's just catch them and be done with them! I've never appreciated Beaters until now..."

He smirked as one of the bludgers came hurtling his direction; he posted up and took it right in the chest, getting knocked back as he caught the bugger and clamped it back into the case. "Ouchie all better alright... just because I've been hit by them before, doesn't mean it doesn't hurt when I get hit by one. You want the next one or should I?"

Ashley shook her curls back haughtily, smirking. "Psh, it'll just bruise something awful. Nothing life threatening." She quirked an eyebrow, and in response to his question, she darted after another bludger, still on her broom. She dove for it, glad that it was near enough to the ground, else she wouldn't do what she did.

She leapt off of her broom, catching the bludger as she fell. It slowed her enough that the ten foot drop was more of a six foot drop, and she rolled as she hit the ground, keeping a tight grip on the bludger. "Caught it!" she crowed, a grin on her face. "I love doing that." With her grip unrelenting on the bludger, she managed to stand and make her way towards Damien, before locking the bludger into the box. "I'm going to regret it later, but for now...I don't see why Meghan doesn't like Quidditch." She blinked impishly.

"I don't see what there is to regret about it, its a fun sport. Nothing bad ever comes of it aside from maybe hurt pride when you lose and some broken bones... a little time in the hospital wing will clear that up I think." He picked up his end the trunk and his broom and looked to Ashley, "Brilliant manuevers by the way. Love the way you caught that bludger."

"I've had my fair share of broken bones," Ashley laughed. "But Aaron helped me heal them. He also taught me some of my manuevers. So thanks." She smiled. "You aren't so bad yourself. With all that diving, dodging, and racing about, you know, we make a mean team. If we were in the same House, the other Houses wouldn't stand a chance. I would be a Chaser probably, if I were on another team." She shrugged. "Since Ravenclaw doesn't have a Seeker right now though...I guess it's meant for me." She laughed.

"That just means you and I are going to have a bit of "friendly competition" on the field. I can't wait. This will make my year a bit more interesting." He said as the came up to the broom closet, where no more than a few feet away stood Jon who looked like he was ready to kill. Damien looked to Ash, "Hey... isn't that Jon?"

"Friendly competition indeed," Ashley laughed. Her gaze fell on Jon, and she swallowed hard. "Uh oh...now what does he want?" she muttered.

Jon strode over to them, as they approached. His eyes blazed with anger, though his tone was cool, as he asked, "What are you two doing, hm, Ashley?"

"We're playing a game of Quidditch, if it's so important," she replied in an equally cool tone.

Jon's gaze never left Damien. If looks could kill, Damien would be nothing but a pile of ash by now. "Really...that's not what it looked like."

"Oh, come off it, Jon. I can have friends, can't I?" Ashley said scathingly. "I don't care what you see in your jealous little world. You're overreacting anyways."

"I am not overreacting," he snarled. "I'm just trying to protect my girlfriend from some transfer student that's nothing but a low-down player."

"Jon! Take that back."

"No, I don't think I will." He strode closer to Damien, poking him hard in the chest. "Listen, Kelmore, you stay away from my girl. Okay?"

"Jon, you can tell him to stay away, but I won't," Ashley seethed. Jon glanced at her, jaw working furiously, before sneering and raising his hand. Ashley screeched with anger as Jon punched Damien in the jaw. "Jonathan! Stop it!" She strode over to Jon, but he ignored her, punching Damien in the shoulder this time. With another cry of anger, Ashley pushed between them, and raised her hand.

Slap!

Jon staggered backwards, hand holding his cheek where she had slapped him. His eyes were wide with shock, as Ashley glared at him, enraged. "Jonathan Matthias Harvis, we are THROUGH! Do you hear me? Through!"

"Ashley, wait, you're overreac-"

"Shut up! You make me sick. Jealous little twerp! How dare you tell me who I can and can't hang out with! And then to punch my friend! I'm done with you."

Ashley whirled around and shoved past Damien, throwing her broom aside as she stalked off. Jon gave Damien a cold glare, saying shortly, "We're not through, Kelmore. This is your fault," before racing off after the fuming Ashley.

Damien didn't have enough time to really react as Jon jabbed his arm hard. He stumbled a little as the hit connected and rocked his frame. He wanted to strike back, but once again, it wasn't his battle. He watched as Ashley pushed past him and walked off somewhere, leaving Jon to chase after her. He had to do something; he couldn't let this guy mess with her right now. He raised a hand and went through a dance like motion that brought a rattling to the ground as the earth shifted in front of Jon and formed a wall between him and Ashley.

Damien's hands glew and elegent color of blue as his auras aligned well enough to give him the ability to create such a wall. He strode up to Jon and pushed him into the wall, "If you want to finish something, don't wait to do it later. Lets talk now..." He raised his hand to strike at Jon, but a wave of air circled effortlessly around his wrist, holding him still.

"A righteous hand is a steady hand, Damien. Seek not to strike with vengeance. Let him go..."

Damien gritted his teeth as his teacher, Professor Minsk, gave the demand from the seats in the pitch. He relaxed his hand and the wind let him go, lowering the wall and turning around to look to Minsk, "where'd you come from?"

"I've been here a long while, since you and the Selwyn girl got here, I'd say. I would suggest going after her, so she doesn't end up being lonely."

Jon had paled, at the display of wandless magic, or whatever it was. But he kept a brave face, instead sneering, "Fine. Let's finish this. You tried to steal my girlfriend. Why shouldn't I be upset?" He almost flinched, as Damien raised his hand, but he didn't, instead looking confused, as Damien seemed to struggle against an invisible barrier.

His gaze darted to the professor, and confusion flickered in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Ashley had found an abandoned classroom, and was now sitting with her back to a wall, sobbing. She hadn't meant to break up with Jon, she had just been so angry...and she liked being friends with Damien. So why was she so confused. She didn't know what to think...she felt so alone...

Damien pushed past Jon and ran after Ashley, leaving Minsk with Jon. The man put a hand on the boy's shoulder and almost dragged him along a walk, "Come here lad. Let us talk. My young student, Damien, is what some would say "out of your league". I wouldn't suggest fighting him, nor encourage or condone it, but if you must, then I would suggest bringing more friends along." Minsk gave a hearty chuckle, wanting to test his student's skills should the boy get into a confrontation with him, "now run along boy. And keep away from the Selwyn girl for a day or so... best you not bother her, lest you want her brother and his friends all over you."

Damien spent a good few minutes looking around for Ashley in the school until he came across the classroom she holed herself up in. He peaked inside and looked at her though a sympathetic gaze, "Hey Ash... I'm sorry about Jon. I didn't mean to cause any trouble between you and him. For what its worth, I'm here to help you?

Jon looked up at the professor, confused. He nodded dazedly, before hotly protesting, "But it's his fault Ashley just broke up with me...he's trying to seduce her or something, then he'll dump her! I just don't want her to get hurt...she doesn't understand...I have to go after her, try to explain, so she'll come back to me..."

Ashley paused between sobs, as Damien's voice broke into the silence. "You can't help," she replied miserably, voice muffled by her arms. "You can't change what just happened...I broke up with him...he hates me now...I'm such a jerk..." She began to sob again, feeling utterly worthless at that point. She had never felt this confused over any other breakup. And she'd gone through some painful breakups. This one was the worst.

Damien walked over and knelt next to her, putting a hand on her cheek, "come here... I understand how you feel. Believe me." he shifted around and sat down and pulled her into a hug, "it wasnt your fault you broke up with him. Honestly he was being a thickheaded, slimy git. You didnt need anyone like this in your life and you still dont."

Ashley sniffled, and returned the hug, though it was more out of need for comfort than anything else. "But...people said we were perfect for each other," she mumbled sadly. "Everyone's going to be talking about this for weeks! And if Jon decides to try to get even...I'll be shunned for weeks too! And then Aaron will get involved...this whole thing is such a mess," she said, another small sob choking her. "He hates me now..." Her body wracked with stifled sobs, as she leaned into the embrace.

"what will you be shunned from? Your friends? If they really were your friends, they wouldnt care. If Jon has a problem, I can deal with him, since you guys broke up because I was trying to show you a good time."

"No...Jon has this way of making something seem true," Ashley argued miserably. "He'll tell everyone that I've been doing...things...and that I was cheating on him, and that he was the one to break up with me, not the other way around. And then Aaron will get mad and try to beat him up, and then Aaron will get in trouble, then the rumor will get back to Mother and Father, and..." Another small sob tore from her throat. "I hate this...this is the worst day ever!" She sobbed again. "It was fun while we played Quidditch, but he just had to ruin it, didn't he?"

He grabbed her tearstained cheeks and slightly shook her, "listen. The thing is he wasnt good for you. You have proof that says you broke up with him... That you didnt cheat him. I can talk to Aaron for you and Ill get this straightened up."

"What proof do I have?" she sniffed, as he shook her gently. "And what makes you think that Aaron will listen to you, huh? You don't know my brother...if he sees me like this...he just might kill Jon!" Ashley's eyes were saddened, as she looked up at him. "Damien, why would you try to help me anyways? This isn't your problem. It's mine...I should have done this a long time ago...before it was too late. Before I got hurt." She turned her eyes away sadly, staring at nothing.

"Aaron will listen to me. He'll be mad about it, but he'll listen. As for proof, I'm your witness." He moved so he was in front of her, "I'm helping you because your a friend. Your right its not my problem, but I want to help you so it doesn't hurt.

Ashley met his gaze then, and tears welled up again. She lunged forward and hugged him again, tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. "I hate him right now...thank you for being here, so I didn't have to be alone...but be careful with Aaron, okay? He's got a temper like no other, and he's a lot more powerful with magic than he should be when he's angry...he's unpredictable. What do you expect from a Slytherin?" She sighed. "I worry about him." The confession startled her. She hadn't meant to suddenly dump on Damien. "Never mind. Just be careful."

Damien held her close with a nod, "I will. I promise."


	3. Chapter 3: The Opening Game

Some Weeks Later

"Ash!" Ashley turned around to see Aaron running towards her. He wore a smirk on his face. She rolled her eyes, as he said, "Well, good luck today...you'll need it against Damien."

Ashley smirked as well. "I've been doing a bunch of training lately," she said condescendingly. "I think I'll do just fine." Aaron laughed.

"Well, good luck anyways. Remember, even if your team loses, I'll still be stuck with you as my sister." Ashley shoved him lightly, laughing, as she continued down the corridor.

She soon reached the locker room, and quickly changed into her Quidditch robes, and grabbed her new broom. It was one of the latest models, a benefit of having parents who didn't care what you bought, as long as it was with your own money...even though it came from them in the end. She smiled a bit, as the Ravenclaw team captain called them together to give them the usual pep talk. She could almost recite it word for word...

And finally, they were off, flying out of the doors and onto the pitch, amongst the cheers (and boos) of students who had gathered to watch the match. Ashley's eyes wandered the Slytherin team, looking for Damien, as she flew to her starting position.

Damien had his old broom flown up from his parent's house. It wasn't the latest, model racing broom, but it was one he was comfortable with riding. He geared up and put on his sunglasses to be able to find the Snitch better without having the sun in his eyes. He leapt out of the starting box and flew into his position, just across from Ash, who he had grown a slight attachment to, though he wouldn't admit it.

The game referee stood out with the Quaffle and waited for all the other balls to soar out into the field before blowing his whistle to start the game. Damien zoomed past Ashley, starting off playing as a Chaser to throw everyone off. This was a plan he had suggested to the team captain. He missed a Bludger to his head and picked the Quaffle up and charged at the goal with a hard swing, pinning the Quaffle into the goal for 10 points.

Ashley was confused to be sure, but it didn't say he couldn't score. Unfortunately for Damien, however, she had sharp eyes. She spotted the snitch as it darted out of the stadium, and she took off, her eyes constantly roving around the area where it had disappeared. Bludgers came her way, but the Ravenclaw beaters got rid of them as she zoomed past.

Damien's plan worked as his replacement followed after Ash, keeping close to her as he flew around playing Chaser. He pitched the Quaffle to another teammate as he caught up with the Snitch and zoomed off after it with all the speed he could muster.

Ashley's eyes widened, as Damien suddenly passed the Quaffle to a teammate, catching up to the Snitch. "Not fair," she muttered as she zoomed towards him. Her competitive streak welled up, and as Damien drew closer to the Snitch, she lightly pushed the end of his broom away with a mischievous grin, as she flew past, swerving after the Snitch. She could see it clearly now, tiny wings beating furiously.

She fought the urge to look back and see how close Damien was. But right now, not even a Bludger could make her look away...

Damien felt a nudge that caused him to skitter for a moment. He regained control and zoomed right onto Ashley's tail. The two Beaters for Slytherin smashed a Bludger into Ashley's direction right as the Snitch was wobbling up and down trying not to be caught. He pushed his broom to get underneath her and could see how close she was to catching the blasted thing. He yelled at her, "Just catch the damn thing already!" He watched as the Snitch drop down past him and he turned over to push Ash's broom up to make her miss the Bludger that sped towards her, sending him after the Snitch.

Ashley huffed as she reached for the thing, calling down, "I'm trying! My arms are too short!" Normally, that would be amusing, but right now...

Suddenly, he shoved her broom up, and she nearly complained, but the Bludger that whizzed past changed her mind. With a grunt, she tilted downward once more, hand outstretched, as she found herself neck and neck with Damien. With a grin, she winked at him, before lunging forward.

Everything happened at once. She closed her fingers around the Snitch, as the Bludger returned for vengeance. With a dull thud, it collided with the back of her head, sending her flying from her broom. She fell towards the ground, a fifteen foot drop, too late for the Ravenclaw Chaser to grab her in time. Ashley hit the ground moments before the Chaser reached her. Instantly, the boy was off his broom, with teachers rushing forward.

Damien watched as Ash took the Bludger upside the back of her head. He gasped and took a nose dive towards her, jumping off early and landing in a roll to run over to Ash and check on her. He pushed his way past the students and teachers. "Ash? ASH! Damnit Ash! You stupid fool!" He knelt at her side with her hand in his, "wake up, you!"

Aaron was busy shoving past teachers and students as well, face pale. He saw Damien reach his sister, and try to wake her. She still didn't move. Student murmured amongst themselves quietly, as Aaron reached her. "Ashley," he called, panicked. "Ashley! Wake up!"

Madame Pomfrey finally arrived, having been there already in case of an accident. "Stand aside, Mr. Kelmore, Mr. Selwyn," she ordered.

Aaron almost refused to, but at Pomfrey's glare, he did. The mediwitch ran her wand over Ashley, before tsking her tongue. "Broken spine," she said. "But mendable. Fortunately, she didn't land on her neck, or I wouldn't be able to heal her, if she had survived." She pursed her lips, not seeing how Aaron had paled even further at her words.

Pomfrey levitated Ashley's body, making sure to keep her still, as she began to head for the Hospital Wing. Something golden fell out of Ashley's hand, and Aaron choked, "She caught the Snitch. You stubborn girl, sis. Keeping a grip on the Snitch like that..."

Damien watched as the Snitch dropped from her hand. He reached down to pick it up and grabbed Aaron by the arm, dragging him along, "your damn sister has to be sooooo damn stubborn."

Aaron was in a daze, as Damien dragged him along. "She could have killed herself...over a stupid game...why is she so stubborn?" he murmured as they finally reached the Hospital Wing.

Ashley was lying on a bed, sheets tucked under her arms, and her face was pale. Madame Pomfrey had just finished waving her wand over her, when she turned, lips pursed. "I suppose you may stay here, gentlemen," she said. "But if she wakes up, one of you needs to come and get me so I can check her. And don't let her get out of that bed, or there'll be permanent damage."

Damien nodded as he picked up her hand and rolled the Snitch into her palm, "I'll make sure that you hear from us when she does. Is it possible to not let anyone else in here?" He kissed her hand gently and took in a deep breath, "what the hell were you thinking Ash?"

Minsk forced his way though Madam Pomfrey and to Damien, who sat with the girl, holding her hand, "Selwyn, you holding up? Damien, what happened out there?"

Aaron glanced up as Professor Minsk entered. "She got knocked unconscious by a Bludger and crashed," he said dully. "Broke her spine."

"And a few ribs and an arm," Pomfrey sniffed. "This is why I am not a fan of Quidditch. It's far too dangerous. Well, I'll be in my office..."

Aaron took his sister's other hand, squeezing it lightly. Suddenly, he stood. "Think I'm going to be sick," he muttered, rushing towards the bathroom.

Damien watched as Aaron ran off to be sick, holding her hand tighter. Minsk put a hand on the boy's shoulder as he pulled up a chair, "You care about the girl I see?"

"Yes..."

"Has Madam Pomfrey done anything to help the girl or did she leave the girl with broken bones?"

"She reset the bones and mended them, but not really sure how well it took."

Minsk reached into his tunic and pulled a small vial of a white powder from there. He pulled the stopper off with his teeth and sprinkled the girl with a light dusting of the strange dust, placing the empty vial in his pocket, "help me out boy. I'll lead if you assist." Damien stood and cracked his hands, looking for what to do next. Minsk muttered an incantation and waved a hand over the girl; a green light emitted from the dust as it was absorbed into her. Damien and Minsk concentrated with Minsk giving orders, "focus on melding the mithril with the broken sections of bones."

Damien felt through her as the mithril formed through the breaks to seal them and make them once again whole. Her neck, her ribs and arm all had been reforged using alchemy. Minsk released the spell and fell back into the chair, followed by his apprentice, "there... she'll be fine now."

Aaron returned at that moment, not as pale anymore. "Sorry 'bout that," he muttered. "I just...panicked. She was so still and pale..." His eyes widened. "Ashley?"

Her eyes had fluttered open, and she moaned quietly, murmuring, "Headache..."

Aaron sat down heavily in the remaining chair, relieved. "Thank Merlin you're awake..." He abruptly stood back up. "I gotta go tell Pomfrey..." With that, he took off, leaving a groggy and sore Ashley to stare after him.

Damien lost color in his face from having aided in such powerful alchemy, "hey... you're up."

Minsk struggled to his feet a little and tapped the girls hand lightly, "sit tight. I'll leave you two alone, ok? Kelmore, I'll catch up with you later. Come see me when you can."

Damien nodded as he leaned over Ash, "how are you feeling?"

"Like a hippogriff ran me over," Ashley laughed weakly. "My head hurts pretty badly. And so does my back and arm and sides...but mostly my head. I'm just sore..." Her hand closed around the Snitch and she held it up. "I told you I'd catch it someday," she whispered with a grimace. "Wish I'd seen that Bludger though...remind me to kill your team's beaters."

"I know I know I saw it at the last second. You're such a stubborn fool. But I guess that's why I like you." He put a hand on her cheek and caressed lightly, "I've got a bit of a confession to make... um, I was in a panic when you got hit, both me and your brother. I thought because of where you had been hit, you'd probably have died. I'm glad you didn't so I could tell you this."

He leaned in close to whisper it in her ear, "I care about you, you've become something I've become to cherish more and more everyday." He sat up and looked into her eyes as he took her hand and kissed it, holding on tightly, "Now, you better be able to get better. Minsk and I rehardened your bones using alchemy. You're practically good as new. Just don't walk around for a little bit."

Ashley's eyes widened at Damien's confession. He...liked her? No, no, no! Every time a guy liked her, it ended badly! Zach, Harley, Matt, Jon...And all the others. She didn't even talk to some of them anymore. She didn't want to lose his friendship too.

Maybe it could go differently though...at least, that's what she always told herself. Ashley sighed, her head throbbing in protest.

"Thank you for helping to heal me," she said quietly, averting her gaze. "And I'm flattered that you care for me...but..." Her gaze swiveled back to him, anguished. "I've had bad luck with relationships in the past. I don't know if you're looking for a relationship or not, but if you are...I'm just...I don't know if I can try again. You're a great friend, Damien, and I don't want to ruin our friendship over something like this..."

He looked down at his feet, finding them a bit comforting as he knew they wouldn't leave him. He shrugged it off and regained his composure, "I kind of figured you'd say that. I don't want to lose what friendship we have. I wasn't asking you out on a date, though if you want to, I'm completely free on Wednesday night. I was just telling you how I felt. Meghan and I were talking about your past relations, so I have some idea of who you've dated. I'm not going to push it though. Do you need anything water? Maybe some aspirin?"

Ashley sighed. "I'll tell you what. One date. That's it. From then on, let me figure out whether I want to try again, okay?" She didn't meet his gaze as she twisted her hands in the sheets. "It's just...I'm afraid to date again. After Jon..." She grimaced. "Anyways, one date, and we'll see where it goes from there."

Footsteps rang out just then, and Madame Pomfrey appeared, Aaron by her side. "Guess she can get me the headache potion," Ashley murmured. "But water would be nice." She smiled, looking up.

Damien shook his head and grabbed a glass and pulled out his wand to fill it with water. He handed the glass over to her, "you know you don't have to Ash. I was trying to make you laugh." Aaron gave him a sharp glance that made Damien wince. Aaron nudged him in the ribs, "what in hell is she talking about?

Ashley drank the water gratefully, before glancing at Aaron. "Nothing," she murmured, lifting her chin stubbornly when her brother eyed her suspiciously. She turned back to Damien. "But I told you I would. I'll do it this once, under my conditions."

He nodded in agreement and sat down at the foot of her bed, "we'll talk later Aaron. How are you feeling about tomorrow for the tournament? "

Aaron looked suspicious, but he accepted the change of subject. "I feel ready," he announced happily. "I've been training nonstop since they first announced my name. I've been reading up in case they throw logical problems at us, and I have been learning some new spells too. It's gonna be great!" He grinned.


	4. Chapter 4: The Tournament Afterparty

Damien had an arm around Ashley, making sure she could walk around. He was also making sure no one kicked her out of the Common Room for being a Ravenclaw. Aaron's performance at the first challenge set him in first place in the tournament and all the Slytherins were cheering and shouting loudly for Aaron.

Aaron wore a smug expression on his face, as he turned. "Damien, Ash," he cheered, holding up the butterbeer in his hand. "Join the party!" He got up, winking to the girl sitting next to him as he walked over to them. "Great to see you up and around again, sis," he grinned, looping an arm around her other shoulder.

Ashley gave him a suspicious look. "That had better not be alcoholic," she warned. Aaron grinned sheepishly.

"Aw, live a little, Ash!"

She rolled her eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips. Ashley shook her head, and grinned up at Damien. "The things you Slytherins do," she laughed.

Damien took a bottle and took a swig and enjoyed a laugh with Aaron. He found an open seat so Ashley could sit so she wouldn't hurt herself. "You need anything? Maybe some kind of embarrassment charm or naked baby pictures to show everyone?"

Ashley sat gingerly as well, a mischievous gleam in her eye. As Damien asked her the question, she shook her head. "No, none of that now..." She leaned close and whispered, "But now is the perfect time to get him back for entering the tournament..." She grinned. "Feel like helping? After all, you know where the boys' dorms are..." She chuckled, as Aaron chugged at his drink, oblivious to her plotting.

Damien chuckled lightly as he leaned into her, "what do you got planned?"

Ashley smirked. "How do you think he would react, if I added a few charms to his things?" she asked innocently. "You know, put a modifying charm on his clothes that he won't notice 'til he goes to bed that night, make it so that his trunk...screams at him every time it opens, that sort of thing." She chuckled

"Sounds like fun. Let's get you into his room. I know exactly where he sleeps." he stood up and offered her a hand. Aaron was off talking to the girl he had winked at, and so didn't see Ashley and Damien slip up to the dorms.

Inside, Ashley recognized her brother's trunk, and she shot Damien a grin. "Never thought I'd be able to put these charms to use," she giggled. With great delight, she charmed the trunk, so that whenever Aaron would open it, he would hear a piercing shriek and a woman shouting, "Stop peeking you perv!"

She then moved on to his clothes, casting a charm that would turn them an odd color, for example, bright pink and orange, and he wouldn't be able to discover the charm, until he went to remove them that night. She then charmed his pillow to turn his hair green when he touched it, so that the next morning, when he went to brush his hair (if he did at all), he would see it, and be unable to charm it back to normal.

Other small things like an itching charm on his sheets, and a charm that would cause his books to snap at him, where done, and Ashley soon finished with a twirl of her wand, and a giggle escaping her lips again. "This is going to be fun," she laughed. "You have to tell me how it all goes."

He smiled as she cursed his clothing and bed. There was footsteps outside the dorm room and the sounds of a couple coming up to door. Damien grabbed Ashley and kissed her, pushing her gently into the wall as the couple walked in.

Ashley heard the footsteps, but barely had time to think about them, when suddenly Damien pushed her into the wall lightly. "Damien, wha-"

Suddenly, his lips covered hers, and for a brief moment, she melted, returning the kiss, before she came to her senses. Her eyes snapped open, and she attempted to push him away. Was he really like the others, only dating her if they were allowed to kiss her and more? And she'd thought he was different. Hurt flickered in her eyes as she tried to push him away again. "What was that?" she asked in a hushed whisper, confused.

The couple had walked in and saw Damien and Ash kiss and excused themselves as they thought the room was being used. Damien let her push him back as he look at her pained eyes, "I'm sorry! I didn't anyone seeing you hex his stuff so I had to think quickly."

Ashley eyed him for a moment, before saying shortly, "A simple hug would have sufficed. And I'm Aaron's sister. Surely they wouldn't get mad at me. Aaron would kill them if they hurt me."

She sighed, and glanced away. "I'm sorry I overreacted. It's just...Jon was always rather pushy. He kept trying to kiss me and...stuff. And when you kissed me...it was just...too much at once." Not to mention she couldn't understand why she had started to return the kiss. Why she felt so...torn.

"I'm sorry Ash. I won't do it again. I promise." he gave her an apologetic look Ashley sighed, and allowed a small smile to play across her face.

"It's okay," she said softly. "Shall we go back to the party then?"

She felt bad, for ruining the mood...but it was just too much. She'd need to think about everything...about Damien...about them. Wait, about them?

Damien offered an arm to help her out of the room, "Yeah lets go."

Ashley leaned on Damien as they went down the stairs, still a little sore, but it should go away soon. Madame Pomfrey had said so. As they reentered the Slytherin common room, Ashley smirked to see her brother busy snogging the pretty brunette from before. "Wish I had a picture of this so I could tease him about it later," she chuckled, shaking her head affectionately. "He seems to have no trouble with girls at parties like this, but outside of parties...he's too careful." She sighed. "Guess he's not aware of what he's doing."

"Hate for him to find out that that girl is really half-blood. She's in Hufflepuff. I have her for divinations." he smirked letting his friend let loose and enjoy himself. "Come on... Let's go to the fireplace. I'm a bit chilled."

Ashley looked at Damien, and burst out laughing. "Even better," she said, a bright smile on her face. "Oh, I won't forget this..." She laughed again, following him over to the fireplace, where one couch had just been vacated.

"So when are you gonna tell him that she's half-blood? I feel kind of sorry for him, but not a lot."

"I might drop a hint tomorrow," Ashley said with a grin. "It'll be amusing, to say the least...on second thought, I'll wait 'til he comes to me, mad about my little 'revenge', and then I'll use it as blackmail against him." She smirked, nodding in satisfaction. "Yes, maybe he was right. Maybe I should have been a Slytherin. I certainly don't always put my intelligence to good use."

"I honestly don't think I can see you as a Slytherin. Just stay like yourself and all will be fine." he said as he took another sip of his butterbeer. On the other side of the room, one of Aaron's friends tapped his shoulder and pulled him away from the lips of the girl he had been snogging, "hey... Carmen and I was just upstairs by your dorm and guess who we saw with your sister..."

Ashley smiled. "I am rather glad to be a Ravenclaw," she admitted. "At least we get into the least trouble as it is. Gryffindors are too reckless, Hufflepuffs with all their glorious loyalty are willing to take the blame for something they didn't do, and Slytherins are too busy making trouble to care. We Ravenclaws study hard and wisely avoid trouble." She grinned.

Aaron rolled his eyes as he was separated from the girl. "Whaddya want?" he slurred, struggling to change his focus from the snogging session to his friend. "Who was with 'er?"

Aaron's friend pointed towards the fireplace, "its Kelmore, man... He was all over her."

Damien chuckled at her explanation of the houses trouble factors, now finishing off his butterbeer. "Well that explains a lot. You should be playing quidditch for the Gryffindors, studying with the Ravenclaws and living with the Slytherins."

"Hey!" Ashley complained good-naturedly, swatting Damien's arm. "I may be reckless, but I'm not Gryffindor reckless! And it's Quidditch. You do reckless things too!"

Aaron seemed to focus better once he heard his friend's words. "What?" he asked, jumping up. His gaze fell on where his sister sat next to Damien. Too close for his liking... With a grunt of acknowledgement to his friend, and an apologetic look to the girl, he managed to make his way over to the fireplace.

"So what's this about you hanging all over my sister?" he growled, as he drew near. He sloppily pushed at Damien's shoulder, swaying slightly on his feet. "You stay away from her...don't touch her...or get all over her...or...or..." He blinked slowly, as Ashley glanced up, a reproving look on her face.

"Who told you that he was all over me?" she asked, eyeing Aaron. He didn't look too steady on his feet...

"My friend and his girlfriend...they saw you...they saw you hanging all over her, Kelmore...what's up with that?"

"Aaron, you're drunk. How many spiked butterbeers did you have?"

"I'm not drunk. Just buzzed...just a little tipsy, that's all..."

"You're drunk."

"Am not."

"Are too."

Aaron rolled his eyes, a mistake, for he had to clutch at the couch to keep from falling over. Damien stood up quickly putting his hands on his friends shoulder to catch him. Once he set him back upright, he looked him in the eye, "you're my best mate, Aaron. It was a mistake that won't happen again. I promise you mate. Just calm down a bit and go have fun with your girl."

Aaron eyed Damien suspiciously, but he seemed satisfied. "You hurt her and I'll make even you pay," he warned, wobbling. With that, he staggered back over to the girl.

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Why am I the sensible one?" she complained. "Honestly...getting drunk? Where is your Head of House when you need him?"

He pointed to a boy swaying from side to side along with a few other boys in the corner, "getting drunk. If its any consolation, I'm not drunk, not have I drank."

Ashley sighed dramatically, slumping back in her chair. "Slytherins," she muttered. With a chuckle, she glanced at Damien. "I suppose the fact that you aren't drunk is supposed to be comforting?" she teased, poking him in the side.


	5. Chapter 5: A Second Chance

The chaos from last night could still be seen in the common room. Thankfully it was the weekend so everyone had a chance to recuperate from the nights frivolities. Damien sat up from his bed and looked across from him where, to his surprise he found Aaron with the girl from last night... in the same bed! He had to resist his laughter as he quickly jumped out of bed and into something decent to go to the Great Hall. Once there he took a look around for Ash, whom he needed to share such juicy and salacious bit of info with.

Ashley didn't really remember returning to her common room last night, as it had been so late when she had snuck back. Thankfully, she had avoided getting caught on her return to the Ravenclaw common room, and had quickly fallen asleep. Now, she regretted staying up so late, but at least she was able to sleep in a little. Finally, however, she decided to wake up, for her stomach was rumbling in an unforgiving manner. So, with a sigh, she pulled on a black hoodie and some jeans, and decided to make her way down to the Great Hall.

Apparently Damien had just arrived, because she was able to sneak up behind him, and suddenly yell, "Boo!" right in his ear, though her laughter kind of ruined the moment.

Damien had been too caught up in eating breakfast to feed his hungry stomach to hear Ashley sneak up on him. He snorted out orange juice from his nose and began coughing as Ashley scared him. He covered his nose and mouth and tried to regain his composure, turning around to see the gorgeous girl before him giggling and laughing in hysterics from her sneaking up on him. He gave her a confused look, "hey! That wasn't funny! Orange juice hurts coming out of your nose... good to see you up and about. How you feeling this morning 'gimpy'."

Ashley couldn't help laughing at the affronted look on his face, as she sat on the bench beside him. "I resent that nickname," she said cheerfully. "I am not 'gimpy'. Merely invalid." She gave him an innocent look. "I apologize if the orange juice hurt, but I'm injured, so you can't be mad at me. I have a right to be entertained." The innocence on her face was marred by the devious expression in her eyes, as she giggled.

He shook his head, "for you, then I guess I'll let it slide... but only for you. I think invalid sounds worse than gimpy to tell you the truth. Here, have a seat. Since barely anyone is here and I'm all by myself, maybe we can just call this our date." He cleaned up a bit and moved over a little to accommodate her, remember what he had come down to tell her right then.

"I've got a little bit of gossip on your brother if you want it."

Ashley grinned. "Very well. A breakfast date it is." She leaned in. "Do share this juicy bit of information? I'd love to hear it." The grin on her face was anything but innocent, as she plotted various ways to use whatever it was he was going to tell her. She grabbed a plate, and began to fill it with fruits and various breakfast items, as she listened.

He laughed at the thought of being a little gossiper, "so... That girl we were watching your brother snogging last night? Well I woke up this morning to find them still together... In bed."

Ashley's mouth dropped open. "No way?" she asked, eyes wide. "Oh, he is so going to regret this...and when he finds out she is a Hufflepuff..." She laughed, throwing her head back, before she calmed herself somewhat, eyes sparkling with amusement. "Aaron is going to hate life after this," she grinned.

He smirked as he took another sip of what was left of the orange juice. He cleared his throat lowly, "yep... Both of them naked, I'm assuming, and in his bed. I was asleep so I'm not sure whether or not they did do it, but that's what happened."

Ashley made a face. "Eew...I do not want to think about my brother going at it. Ever." She shook her head, reaching for a glass, which promptly filled with orange juice. "It's a weekend," she exclaimed happily. "Dunno what to do today...but at least there isn't any class." She grinned.

"Well maybe if you don't mind my company, I can stick with you and keep you company?" he nudged her gently, worried about hurting her in her already fragile state.

"No, Damien, I utterly abhor your company," Ashley said, her mock seriousness broken by her amused tone. "Of course I don't mind! You're one of my best friends now." She grinned, nudging him back. "Want to play Quidditch again?" She laughed.

He blushed a little, being told how close of a friend he was to her then slapped his hand against his forehead, "I was told to keep you off of a broom for at least a week. I don't mind getting you back for taking that Snitch..."

Ashley pouted. "Fine...want to take a hike around the lake then? Or play some Wizard's chess?" She huffed, mumbling, "I still caught the Snitch...and I'm fine now...At least Ravenclaw won."

Damien couldn't stand letting her win after he had stolen it the first time they played. Against all his moral fibers, he took a sharp breath and sighed, "You won one and I won one. This one decides whose the better flyer. If you win, you can ask me to do anything you want."

Ashley's face lit up. "Really?" She all but bounced on her seat, happy once more. "Anything I want...guess that means I have to win." She tilted her head, looking at him sideways. "Hmm...If you win, I guess I'll do anything you want." She grinned

He offered out his hand in agreement, "I'm not going to take it easy on you just because you got hurt. The way I see it, we're even there. I've got one win and you've got one win so lets see whose the better at it?"

Ashley nodded. "No bludgers," she said. "First off, they have proven way too dangerous. Secondly, I believe skill is determined not by how well you dodge, but how well you fly, and how well you anticipate, speed up, and slow down."

He smirked, "ok no bludgers then... Don't need you getting hurt again. You're brother is already going to kill me for the dirt I gave up on him. Lets finish eating and hop to it."

She chuckled. "I won't let him kill you...maybe maim. Nothing big." Ashley winked, and took another bite. She soon finished her meal, and stretched, as her plate disappeared, off to the kitchens no doubt. "I'm ready for that rematch," she announced, standing. "Shall we go? Pardon me if I don't race you there though."

"Why would you let your brother maim me... After all the things I've done for you; snooping into his room so you can jinx his stuff, get some dirt on him for blackmail, re-mend your broken bones..." he joked around, offering an arm to her so they could walk together, "I won't mind not racing."

Well, wouldn't you want to kill him if he spread some dirt on you?"

Ashley asked with a grin. "And if you had a sister and he encouraged her to try to kill herself again?" She chuckled. "Oh well, he knows I'm too stubborn anyways."

He looked to the floor for a moment as a twinge of pain ran through him, "sister... Right. No, I understand. Come on..." he cleared his throat and kept a very tense quiet.

Ashley's teasing grin faded, as Damien suddenly got very quiet. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked, concerned. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I didn't mean to offend you...I'm sorry." She studied his face.

Damien shrugged it off, "just bad memories. I had a sister once. Vibrant girl... Died of pneumonia 2 years ago. I have been pretty good about keeping her in my memory."

Ashley gasped. "I'm so sorry," she said mournfully. "And here I am speaking without thinking..." She gave him a quick hug, her expression woebegone. "I'm an idiot."

"If you're an idiot, then I must be a caveman." he said trying to lighten his own spirits. He wrapped his arms around her and held the hug just a bit longer. A drum like steady rhythm pulsed in his ears for the briefest moment before the realization set in that it was his heart, beating like it was working out. He released Ashley, a little hesitantly and gave her the best smile he could, which looked like he had been drunk, "you wouldn't have known... The way I carry on about my life. I think that is probably why my father and I no longer get along."

Ashley gave him a small, sad smile. "My father and I aren't on the best of terms either," she replied, sighing. "I guess we have that in common. I wish we were closer...but in a Pureblood family, the heir gets the attention. That means Aaron is important. I'm just me."

"Well I'm glad you're just you. Honestly it would be kind strange if you were someone else." he joked as he took her hand and patted it.

Ashley smiled. "What, you can't imagine me being all prim and proper, looking like I just smelled something awful all the time?" she teased.

"That's what all the Slytherin girls do." She laughed. He laughed with her, "yeah I've noticed. I had a slight fancy for one of them once... That was a mistake. I asked her out and she chewed my head off for not being 'blonde, pale and handsome'. I already fit the blue eyed part of that you know."

Ashley chuckled. "Oh, you poor soul," she said, amused. "Well, I suppose I don't have a preference as to appearance. It's more personality for me. Somehow, though, I seem to be a terrible judge of character." She sniffed disdainfully, thinking of past boyfriends, as she tossed back her hair.

"There is usually a large trial and error portion of life. It'll pass once you get out school is what I was told. Whether or not its true is beyond me. Besides, you judge me to be a good guy, otherwise you wouldn't have let me hang out with you"

Ashley smirked. "What makes you think I think of you as a good guy?" she asked, her tone teasing. "I might just let you hang around because you're more fun than Aaron. You let me do things against your better wishes." She laughed, linking her arms through his. "I'm kidding. You are a good guy. You're the first one I've actually judged correctly. "She grinned.

"I'd cheers to that. And yes... I do let you get away with things you shouldn't be doing... Like flying a broom after breaking your neck. Its only been days, Ash." he felt another warm flutter as she linked arms with him, but he kept his composure. It wasn't long that they made it back to the pitch where Damien grabbed the Snitch and a broom, "you take the good one."

"One of the many benefits of being a witch," she laughed, waving a hand in dismissal.

Once they were in the shed, he had offered her the best broom. But she just shook her head and closed her hand around the handle of the broom he held. "I had the better broom last time," Ashley argued. "It's your turn to have it." A sly smile spread across her face. "Besides, I don't need a good broom to win. I'm too skilled." She smirked

"Says you... You're injured and the only reason you're standing upright and walking is your shear willpower and utter stubbornness. Both of which are some of your best features I might add. Take the damn broom please. I'll smoke you with out the good broom like I did the last time we raced over here." he pushed the broom towards her again.

Ashley huffed. "I am not stubborn!" she argued. She smiled sheepishly. "Okay, maybe a little. But I'm still as skilled. You just want to be all gentlemanly. Fine. I'll take the broom...and when I win, you can't complain."

She grinned, accepting the broom with a chuckle. "Well, then, go ahead and release the Snitch."

Damien released the Snitch and counted off to 5 before mounting his broom. Within another couple of seconds, he was up in the air, searching for that tiny golden pain in his ass.

Ashley took off after Damien, feeling slightly stiff as she mounted the broom. Once in the air, however, she felt more comfortable, as her gaze swiveled side to side. Every few seconds, she'd think she had spotted the Snitch, but it was nothing. She hated not knowing where it was.

It took every fiber in Damien's body to not cheat, using the dirty tactics that normally came from playing as Seeker. He pulled up along side her, matching her movement to keep her on her toes as he searched for the Snitch. There was a brief whistle past his ear as the Snitch flew by him and behind. He quickly spun around and dove after it.

Ashley heard the familiar buzz, and saw Damien whirl around. She instinctively flew into a backwards loop, spiraling until she was again side by side with Damien. The movement caused pain to briefly shoot up her spine, but she merely clenched her jaw, ignoring it. She couldn't lose. She was a fighter. Her eyes now locked on to the Snitch, as she stretched out a hand in anticipation.

Damien pulled up closer to Ashley and extended out his own hand, placing it underneath her's to try and snatch the fast moving Snitch from the girl. To accommodate his flying grip, he turned his hand palm up and inched himself closer, almost completely under the Snitch and he closed his hand on it."

Ashley stretched her hand out, concentrated on the tiny golden flash. Closer...closer...now! Her hand closed around what she thought was the Snitch...but it wasn't. It was...a hand? Startled, Ashley's eyes traveled up from their joined hands, to Damien's face, expression unreadable. For reasons unknown...her heart began to thud.

Damien didn't have time to think about what was in his hand at that moment. He started to try and move away from Ashley, but somehow she followed him every step. He finally looked up to his hand and saw not a Golden Snitch, but the hand of Ashley Selwyn. His already fast beating heart seamed to go into overdrive and seemed to slow down his perception enough to a point that scared him. "She's got my hand. I have her's. What the hell? Are we really holding hands?" he thought for a moment as momentum came back into play.

He's holding my hand...and I'm holding his... she thought, eyes widened. For a moment, she let her hand linger, her pulse roaring in her ears. She looked from their hands to his face to their hands again, suddenly confused about the torrent of emotions that swept through her. She didn't know what to feel.

Thankfully, she didn't have to think for too long, for in front of Damien, she spotted a flash of gold. She - reluctantly? - released her grip on his hand, and reached outward towards the Snitch.

Damien immediately let go and followed after Ash, reaching out for the Snitch. His fingers were so close to it, but one look towards Ash and he felt something strange. He slowed down a slight bit, giving her the lead with out letting on that he did.

Ashley's hand closed around the Snitch, and her face lit up. "I caught it!" she cried, braking sharply, and turning to look at Damien with a look of surprise on her face. "I actually caught it before you did...and without killing myself!" A look of happiness spread across her face, before she blushed, remembering how she'd thought she'd caught it only a minute ago. And the way his hand held hers...

He stopped quickly and pulled up alongside her, "yeah, its a good thing you didn't kill yourself. I dunno what I'd do if you'd got hurt... and your brother..." he said, letting his voice trickle off slowly, "Glad to see that at least one of us is able to put her money where her mouth is." He started to head down towards the ground.

Ashley's smile died, as he flew downwards, and she frowned slightly. "What's wrong?" she asked, zooming past until she was in front of him, forcing him to stop. "Are you okay?" Her eyes were concerned, as she studied him.

A smile that Damien was surprised to see come across his own features, a loving one, crawled to his lips and he nodded, "Yeah... just scared of whatever you're going to ask me to do, you know. I owe you whatever you want me to do." He slowly descended, looking into Ashley's eyes the entire time.

Ashley couldn't breathe, nor could she tear her eyes away from his smile or his eyes, both of which were stunning. "Oh...t-that's right..." she murmured. She'd forgotten about the bet. What should she ask for? She thought for a moment, suddenly knowing what she wanted. But...could she really ask for it? What if...better to just try.

She took a deep breath, as she landed, holding her broom for a moment, as she looked at the ground. She mumbled something, then obviously decided to speak louder. "W-will you go out with me?" she asked again, voice hesitant.

Damien's eyes lit up and he took a few steps closer to her, letting a playful smile take over, "like another date go out or... Like go out, go out?"

Ashley gave him a glare. "Like, on a date. Go out together. However you men say it." She scowled. "C'mon, don't make this any harder...I've never asked a guy out before." She crossed her arms.

Damien stepped closer, now taking her hand in his, "can I ask you for something?"

Ashley looked down at their joined hands, nodding slowly. "Yes," she said quietly. "You can ask me something..."

"Would you hate me if I said I want to kiss you..." he moved closer and took her other hand, "and to answer your question, "yes... Yes I will."

Ashley looked up at him, her gaze sharp, as she studied his expression. Slowly, her eyes softened. "I wouldn't hate you," she murmured. "You may if you want."

He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, lingering a few moments before stepping away and squeezing her hand, " how's that?"

Ashley's heart threatened to beat out of her chest, as he leaned in and kissed her softly for a moment. "It was...okay," she said, after a moment. "Nothing like the others...they were always too pushy." A small smile spread her lips. "All in all...I liked it."

He wrapped his arms around her and laughed, "Thankfully I'm not like most guys you know. If I do something you don't like, just tell me."

Ashley smiled. "Really? If I tell you I don't like something, you'll stop?" Her eyes lit up. "Promise? You won't keep bugging me about it?"

He held up his pinky finger and nodded, "right then and there. I tend to always keep my promises."

Ashley giggled and entwined her pinky finger with his. "That is the most comforting thing I have heard in days," she said, smiling. "Thank you."

He nodded and gave her cheek a kiss, "glad I could be of service. Lets go back to the castle, I need to find a way to break this to your brother... He's not going to be happy about it."

Ashley made a face. "If he gives you too much trouble, come get me, unless you'd like me to come along?" She looked up hopefully. "He'd definitely be calmer if I was there...plus, he'd take lightly to me blackmailing him." She smirked.

"I'm fairly certain he won't kill me in front of you... but he'll wait until I fall asleep for sure. But I'm sure with the dirt we got on him, we can keep him in check." He let slip with a sly smirk on his face." With her hand in his, he lead her back to the castle, but somewhere in the corner of the pitch, hid someone who had been watching the entire time. Their eyes spied on the couple for a few more lingering moments before finding their way to the hidden path that would ultimately bring them to the castle first and to the ears of two very important people. Aaron and Jon.


	6. Chapter 6: A Dire Situation

It had been a bout a few weeks since Damien and Ashley had started to date and things had gone by great. As Damien had promised, he didn't do anything she didn't like and he kept things slow. Since the day they had the time started dating, neither of them had really had the chance to get Aaron alone to be able to speak to him about it and Damien had told himself that today was that day.

This particular day Aaron had been hanging around his cronies around the fountain in the main Courtyard. Damien put his hand on Ashley's shoulders to try and talk her into talking to her brother right now. "We need to do this now!

Ashley grimaced. "I'd rather face an enraged hippogriff," she muttered. "But okay." She took a deep breath, glancing at Damien, before making her way over to Aaron. "Hey, bro," she called. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Aaron glanced at her, and nodded, excusing himself from his friends. "What is it?" he asked. "Is Jon bothering you again?" His face was carefully neutral, as he looked at her.

"No...It's not that," Ashley said slowly, glancing at Damien.

Damien shuffled his foot a little bit, wondering how much more friendly the grass would be to him compared to Aaron would, "well... You see... Well. Ashley and are dating."

For a moment, Aaron was silent, and Ashley grew somewhat nervous. But at last, he spoke. "I already knew," he said coolly, anger lightly coloring his voice.

"You did?" Ashley asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I did. And I was wondering how long it would take you to tell me that you went behind my back to ask out my sister," he continued, glaring at Damien. Ashley grabbed his arm.

"I was the one to ask him out," she said in an equally cool tone. Aaron glanced sharply at her, and for a moment, brother and sister exchanged a look, one that held meaning to them.

"Well, sorry you couldn't trust me enough," Aaron said snidely, yanking his arm away from her Damien sat back and watched for a moment before finally stepping in, "I'm sorry man. I was going to tell you sooner, but neither of us knew how you would take it. Didn't you..." he paused momentarily and thought, letting the words roll out unfiltered, "what do you mean you knew?"

Aaron turned back to Damien, glaring. "I have my sources," he snarled. Ashley put out a hand again.

"Aaron..."

"You think you can mess with my little sister behind my back?" he asked, ignoring her continued protests. "You think that while I'm not watching, you can try to get her in some broom closet? Then, when all the fun's over, or when she refuses you, dump her like all the others? Try to break her heart?"

"Aaron, listen to me!"

"No, Ashley." He looked at her, anger in his eyes. "I'm sick of the guys messing around with you. One of these days, they're going to push you too far, and you're going to get hurt. Remember what happened with Aidan? And Jon?"

Ashley's eyes filled with hurt. "Don't you dare use them against me," she snapped, shoving at him.

"I'm just trying to protect you."

"I can protect myself!"

"You don't have to. I already am." His gaze swiveled back to Damien. "How dare you mess with her."

Damien felt slightly guilty, then angry being compared with all the other men Ashley has dated. He took it upon himself to take matters into his own hands, "AARON! WILL YOU LISTEN FOR JUST ONE SECOND!" He grabbed Ashley's hand and held her close, "I'm not going to hurt her. If I do, I will take any punishment you can dish out like a man!"

Ashley shot her brother a glare of her own, and he looked surprised to see the anger in her gaze. "I. Can. Take. Care. Of. Myself." she said through gritted teeth. "I am not helpless."

Aaron glared at Damien while he spoke. "I'm sick of you getting hurt, Ash."

"It's not your job to protect me."

"I'm your brother!"

"Let me get hurt. Let me protect myself." Ashley's voice calmed. "If I get hurt, it's my own fault, okay? I am perfectly capable of retaliating on my own. And I can do so without getting into trouble because I get caught."

"It was just detention!"

"And if you had hurt him any more, you would have been expelled. How do you think Father would like that?"

That shut Aaron up, and he glowered. "I will hurt you, Damien," he growled, "if she gets hurt. You'll not only be facing me though...it'll be me, the Slytherin house, and apparently Ash here too."

"You will not get Slytherin involved, Aaron."

"Fine. Just me and Ash." His eyes never left Damien's, anger in them. Ashley squeezed Damien's hand lightly.

He nodded and gave a short bow, "I won't harm Ashley, I promise." He gave Ash's hand a return squeeze, slowly pulling her into a close embrace.

Ashley put her arm around Damien's waist, her eyes not leaving her brother's as he stared at her for a long moment. He seemed to finally be seeing her for what she was: a young woman, capable of looking out for himself. He sighed, looking away from her. "Do whatever you want then," he muttered, turning back towards his friends.

Ashley watched him go, slightly unhappy from what had just gone on. "He's not happy," she murmured, hugging Damien tightly, for comfort.

Damien put his hand on the back of her head and twirled his fingers through her hair as he rested her against his shoulder, "no he isn't... And I already have a bad feeling about something. How did he know about us?"

"That worries me too...I don't know. And Aaron is not going to tell us, ever." Ashley sighed against Damien's chest. "Who would have known? Someone must have been watching us...and probably still is."

Damien looked around for anyone who could have been watching, not finding anyone but Aaron and his friends who were busy staring evilly at the couple, thinking of horrible punishments for their housemate should he hurt Ashley.

Ashley shot Aaron and his friends a glare, and they looked away hastily, lest they incur her wrath. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," she muttered. "And this woman is not too pleased with a certain brother of hers right now..." She looked back up at Damien. "I don't want to be paranoid about someone watching us," she said quietly. "Now that Aaron knows, that's all the damage they can do, right?"

Damien wanted to back up but he stayed put, "remind me not to piss you off. Now, even though we told Aaron, whoever this source of his could still have more information."

Ashley frowned. "Why are they doing this?" she wondered aloud. "Jon isn't smart enough to pull this off...maybe it's a Slytherin? "Like Jon, it's too much of an intelligent and intricate plan for a Slytherin. Whoever this is, they know a lot about us." he pointed to a tree with some beautiful shade that seemed to be inviting to him, "for now lets just relax."

Ashley sighed. "Wait 'til I get my hands on them..." She followed him over to the tree, smiling at him. "Well, at least we didn't have to surprise him. That's good."

He nodded, " I was kind of surprised he didn't call his friends to lynch me sometime between when he found out and now."

She laughed. "Too afraid of me I suppose," she said. "And they probably didn't want to underestimate you." Ashley sighed, staring off into space. Her thoughts were interrupted, as an unfamiliar grey owl flew past, dropping a letter in her lap.

"Why am I receiving mail now? I thought the post came in the morning, "she murmured in surprise. There was no indication of who it was from, the only markings on the envelope being "Ashley Selwyn and Damien Kelmore".

"Look at this," she said, holding it out to Damien.

Damien saw something land in her lap and it hadn't registered to him until she said something about it. He sat himself closer to her and picked it up, "who could this be from? Here, let's see what it says.."

Damien cut open the envelope with a small knife he always carried on him and pulled out a small slip of parchment with reddish-black ink: "Well it's nice to see that the couple has come out of hiding, but this will not last. Don't get too comfortable with each other yet. I know things about the two of you that should they get out, it will be devastating to both of you. What I want is for you and Damien to be not together anymore."

Ashley read the note, her expression changing from one of shock, to one of anger. "How dare they?" she seethed. "Telling us what to do...if this is Jon, I swear, he will regret ever messing with me...what do you think this person knows?" Her eyes were worried as she turned to look at Damien. "We haven't done anything, so there isn't much they can use..."

Damien put a hand up and turned the card over, "I will be nice and tell you the one thing I know about the two of you... Damien is a muggleborn... Ashley and her family are very much pureblood and last time I checked... They don't like anything less than purebloods in the family. Don't let me forget about Slytherin House either... Purebloods to the core. Now you have a week to follow my demands or there might be a small leak of information." Damien shook his head, "what in hell is up with this person!"

Ashley's eyes grew wide, at the thought of such information reaching her parents. Or worse...Aaron. "He can't find out," she whispered. "He'll kill you if he knew...or he'd hate me." Either one would be devastating to her. "Why are they doing this?" she asked in a soft voice. "Why?" In a flash of anger, she snatched the note from Damien, reading and rereading the note again and again. "I ought to burn this, and interrogate every student at this school until I find who it is," she muttered.

Damien looked to the ground then at Ashley, "it has to be someone who is closest to us. Jon, Meghan, obviously not your brother. Who else?"

Ashley shook her head. "I don't know," she murmured. "It's not a Slytherin...they would have already blabbed it. I don't know why Meghan would do this...it just can't be her...but I think maybe our culprit is female. Why would any guy, except for Jon or maybe one of his friends, want to break us up? Guys don't really care, unless they're jealous, or are trying to get revenge. Nothing like this has happened before, so I think it's safe to assume that it is not a jealous admirer...well, on my part anyways. It could be a girl who is jealous of me..." She sighed, pushing her hair from her eyes. "I hate this."

Damien nodded, "agreed. Only a girl would come up with something this cruel, no offense." he had no idea who it could have been and right now he wasn't going to give up what he had worked hard to get. He cared too much about Ashley to give her up. "Just watch closely for people who should be around you who aren't supposed to be there. That's the best idea... I need to call in a favor."

Ashley nodded. "I wish this wasn't happening," she murmured, leaning into Damien. "I finally start getting used to having a guy who actually cares about me for who I am, than for what I look like...and now some girl is trying to break us up. I agree with the whole cruelty thing. We girls are cruel when guys are involved." She sighed.

He offered his hand to Ashley, needing the comfort, "I know. I need to talk to Minsk. He might be able to sort this out for us?"

Ashley took his hand in hers, resting her head on his shoulder sadly. "I don't know...maybe he can...but can he keep our secret?" Her eyes were worried as she craned to look up at him. "I mean...if anyone in my family finds out..."

He put a finger to her lips in a loving manner and kissed her forehead, "my father trusted this man with his life. I trust this man with my life, I would hope you can do the same for just a little while. He will weed out whoever it is so we can keep this whole thing out of mind."

Ashley sighed. "I will...but only because you trust him with your life. That's pretty trusting. I suppose the least I can do is the same." She smiled softly, hugging him.

Later that Day

Students were winding down before dinner and all day, Damien had spent time trying to figure out who could have been framing them. He left a not under Minsk's door to meet him in the courtyard about an hour ago and yet no sign of him. He looked at his father's old pocket watch and paced around a moment, "Merlin... Where could they be?"

Ashley made her way down to the courtyard, knowing she was late, but knowing there wasn't much she could do. It took time to get anywhere when you were constantly making sure you weren't followed. Paranoid? Yes. But after the blackmail letter...she didn't want to take chances. Finally, she stepped into the courtyard, looking around.

She spotted Damien, and approached him, a slight frown on her face. "Hey," she said quietly. "Sorry I'm late...Minsk isn't here?"

There was a short squeal of surprise, then loud struggling grunts as Ethan Minsk pushed in front of him a young girl in Ravenclaw robes. He tossed her forward to the ground and cleaned off his hands, "I'm here alright and I found the little bird who had been peeping on you two."

Ashley looked down at the culprit, and gasped. "M-Meghan?"

The girl stood up, brushing herself off with a glare at Minsk. "Hey, Ash," she said, giving a falsely cheerful smile to her friend.

Ashley stared at her. "What does he mean, Meghan? You wouldn't...blackmail me...would you?"

Meghan cocked her head, a sweet smile on her face. "What do you think?

"I-I don't know what to think."

"Pity. And with you a Ravenclaw and all." Meghan smiled nastily, to Ashley's surprise and dismay.

"I thought you were my friend..."

"And I was...until he came along." Meghan shot a flirtatious smile at Damien. Ashley stepped forward, her face quickly darkening in anger.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know." Ashley was now face to face with Meghan, and she shoved her backwards.

"Don't you dare try to confuse me with your 'mysterious' answers," she snarled. Meghan shoved her back, the expression on her face becoming ugly.

"I'll stop trying to confuse you when you do what I want," she said, as Ashley shoved her again.

"You messed with the wrong person, Meghan...I may be a Ravenclaw, but you forget that the rest of my family was Slytherin...and I picked up on a lot of their traits."

"Ooh, threatening me, I see," the other girl laughed, shoving past Ashley. She fluttered her eyelashes at Damien, striding over to him and lightly resting her hand on his shoulder. "See, Damien, how vile she can be? Whatever do you hang around with her for? Don't you want someone who is much sweeter, and much more...fun?" She winked, but her wink was lost to a surprised look, as from behind, Ashley shoved her away.

"Don't touch him," she hissed, angry. Meghan chuckled.

"Told you she was vile."

"Shut up!"

"No, I don't think I will."

Meghan's smug look turned to surprise, as she found herself staring down the tip of Ashley's wand. "I trusted you," Ashley seethed. "You know everything I've gone through...yet you still try to ruin my life even more?"

Meghan drew her wand as well. "Oh, poor Ashley, always managing to catch every guy's attention...you must have such a crappy life."

Ashley glared at her.

Damien spat off to the side of Meghan and walked over to Ashley, giving her a kiss on the lips, "the only vile thing I see here is you, Meghan. She trusted you. I trusted you! Even if we break up, which will not happen, what do you think you'll achieve? You'll come and take me off my feet with sweetness and venom? Screw you!"

Ashley returned the kiss, pressing her lips to Damien's more forcefully than she normally would have, as if reassuring herself that it was she whom he was kissing, before she turned to glare at Meghan again.

Meghan was staring at her with burning anger. "I wouldn't have had to do this, if you had just stayed happy with Jon," she seethed.

"You knew Jon was clingy, Meghan. You even said so yourself! The only one to blame here is you," Ashley retorted. Meghan huffed.

"You should have stayed with him. You don't deserve any better."

Ashley froze, stunned at the hurtful words.

But Meghan continued. "You always get the best of everything, while I'm left in the dust. But you know what? I don't see why that is. You aren't as pretty as some of the other girls, you aren't as popular, you aren't even cool! You're nothing but a Slytherin reject, who couldn't even get into the same house as her family."

"Shut up!" Ashley snarled, tears prickling in her eyes. "I'm proud to be a Ravenclaw...it means that I'm smart!" She left Damien's side, stalking over to the other girl. "I may not be a Slytherin...but I still have some of their qualities..." She pressed the tip of her wand against Meghan's throat, and the other responded by lifting her own wand to Ashley's throat. They stood like that for a few moments, glaring at each other.

Damien took a step to separate the girls, but Minsk put a hand up and shook his head, "girls... Lower your wands. Now." Despite his teacher's request to stay out of it, Damien ran over, pushing Meghan away and took their wands away.

Both girls refused to lower their wands, and when Damien wrenched them away, both girls turned on him with fierce glares. Ashley was the first to soften her gaze, and she murmured, "Stay out of this..." Meghan turned to glare at her.

Ashley was still gazing at Damien when Meghan lunged forward, shoving her into a tree. Ashley cried out in pain as her shoulder slammed into the rough wood, and she attempted to shove Meghan back, her shoulder feeling like it was burning. "Leave me alone," Ashley snarled, as Meghan again attempted to slap her. In retaliation, Ashley ducked, and swept a leg around, knocking the other girl's feet from underneath her. Meghan let out a grunt as she fell, Ashley pinning her to the ground with one knee firmly planted on her midsection. "You sicken me," Ashley said with disgust. Meghan lashed out with one hand, striking Ashley's shoulder, which caused her to wince in pain.

Damien tried to think of something but Minsk got to it first. He picked up Ashley and lifted her to the other side of him. Damien finally caught on and stepped between them and focused his powers, making a wall of earth between the two, "ENOUGH!

Ashley clutched her injured shoulder with her other hand, her eyes glaring daggers at Minsk for interrupting her. Meghan likewise glared at the sky, her fists clenched. She sat up, before struggling to her feet and attempting to move forward. The wall stopped her, however, and she huffed, hands on her hips. "Don't you know not to come between two girls when they are attempting to resolve a problem?" she said sweetly. "I merely want to show Ashley that I am clearly the better choice here..."

"He said enough, Meghan," Ashley said in a deadly quiet voice. Her face had gone suspiciously blank, and she was eerily calm. "This will be settled another way, another time."

Minsk shook his head and drew a wand, "no.. This ends here." He spun around and sent a bolt of white and green light at Meghan. He smirked as the bolt struck her between her eyes sending her backwards a little, "good, memory charms are good enough."

Ashley gasped as Minsk fired the memory charm. Were teachers allowed to do that? Shaking her head, Ashley shoved the thought away; now Damien was safe from Aaron's wrath. She tentatively touched his arm, suddenly needing to feel close to him. Meghan's harsh insults were running through her mind, and now that the adrenaline that rushed through her in the heat of the moment was slowly fading, she was beginning to feel drained. She was partially surprised at the fact that she had so fiercely fought against Meghan. But, to be honest, she was tired of the constant strain that came from everyone else. Meghan had just been the final straw.

"She won't remember anything, right?" Ashley asked quietly. "I don't want to...to remember her like this. I just wish things would go back to the way they were at the start of term..." Her eyes were sad as she looked up at Minsk.

"She can be however you want her to be. I she'll remember what we tell her, otherwise I'll just take her up to the Hospital Wing and let them sort her out. Say she was practicing and her wand backfired," Minsk replied coldly as he went to check on the girl. He turned to Ashley and gave her a glare that made Damien stand in front of her with his arms out

"Back away, Minsk."

"She said she didn't want to remember her like this. Lets just adjust that memory slightly." Damien shifted a little, extending his palm out towards Minsk, "no. You'll have to fight me."

Ashley nodded quietly, looking down. When she looked back up, Minsk was glaring at her, and she backed away nervously, wishing Damien would give her, her wand back. "I didn't mean I wanted you to Obliviate me," Ashley said, voice quivering slightly. "I meant...I just want to put this argument behind us. If Meghan were to go back to the way she was before, then I'd be happy. I could forget about her betrayal...sort of. I wouldn't trust her so blindly, but we could still be friends." She swallowed thickly, glancing at Minsk's wand. "D-don't you dare Obliviate me..."

Damien put his hand on Ashley's arm and moved closer to her, "lower your wand, Minsk." Minsk lowered it, sliding his wand back into his pocket, "Fine, I can restore her memories to wherever you want... just don't be so literal next time." Damien relaxed a little and turned to Ashley, giving her back her wand, "I'm sorry about all this."

Ashley rewarded Minsk with a withering glare, muttering, "Didn't know you took things so literally." She turned to Damien, gratefully accepting her wand. Now she felt safer, as she gripped the familiar wand. "It's not your fault," she murmured, her gaze firmly fixed on the ground. And it wasn't. This was all Meghan. Thank goodness her memory had been modified...lest this happen again.

Damien wrapped an arm around Ashley, feeling like the two had only been pushed closer into each other because of this, "I'm sure that Minsk will take care of the rest of this mess. You'll get Meghan back from before she went all psycho on us and we can stay together!"

Ashley lightly bit her lower lip. "Yeah, I guess," she murmured sadly. She looked up, trying to hide her doubts. "You...still want to stay together? After this? I mean, she was right...there are other girls, Damien..."

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I. It was a challenge just to get you to go out on a date with me. I'm not giving up on you" he said with a twinkle in his eye.

Her eyes lit up with joy at his words. "Really?" A sly look came into her gaze, and she smirked. "I was that much of a challenge, hm?" Ashley laughed. "Nice to know that the play-hard-to-get strategy works well. I'll pass it along to my friends."

"You're brother was right. You really are a brat sometimes. Come on, then lets get out of here before someone else sees and tries to black mail us." he pointed off into a random direction and started walking.

Ashley pouted. "I am not a brat!" she argued, following along after him. "And besides, no one else knows about...you know...so it's perfectly normal for me to be hanging around you. It's not like girls aren't allowed to be with guys anymore." She grinned. "Thank goodness for that...everything would be so boring."


	7. Chapter 7:The Selwyn House

Ashley was excited, as she packed her bags. Damien was vising her home for Christmas Eve, and she would be visiting his house as well for Christmas day, not really caring to spend it with her austere parents.

Meghan, having recovered from the fight weeks back and with no memory of what had happened (and thankfully still crushing on Aaron instead of Damien), was flopped on her bed, lying on her stomach, as she watched her friend. "You know, you could always talk about me to Aaron," Meghan commented hopefully. Ashley, having no bitter memories, save for a slight wariness about trusting with secrets, laughed.

"I already mention you more than my other friends," she said.

"Only mentioned?" her friend sighed dramatically, rolling over onto her back. "Well, it's better than nothing."

"Don't worry...I'll see if I can point him in your direction," Ashley grinned. "In the meantime..." She closed her trunk with a slight thud. "I'm off for the holidays...say hi to your parents for me!"

"Will do!"

Ashley waved goodbye, as she headed out of the common room, and down the corridors, her trunk magically lightened. Soon, she was standing outside of the Slytherin dorms, waiting for Aaron and Damien to appear. She couldn't wait; several days with Damien, and then several more days with Damien and his parents. If she could just keep her father from interrogating him...

"Aaron! Shake a leg man and hurry your arse up! We gotta go mate!"

Damien yell from down in the Common Room. He went through his bag really quick; to make sure he had all he needed. Once satisfied, he looked back up and scoffed, "screw it... I'm going outside... I'll see you at your house..."

"Just go on ahead!" Aaron called back. "I'll meet up with you guys on the train..." He went back to packing.

Outside, Ashley looked up as Damien finally appeared. "Let me guess...Aaron is taking forever?" she smirked. "He probably forgot to pack last night...this is why girls are so much more efficient. We pack most of our stuff the night before. Here I am, on time, while my lazy brother runs around making sure he didn't forget anything important."

He shrugged and leaned against the wall for a moment, "well aren't we smug about something. I know the one thing you did forget."

Ashley shrugged with a grin on her face. "I am never smug," she teased. She looked at him with a frown of confusion on her face. "What did I forget?"

Damien reached into his pocket and pulled out a crystalline helix on a silvery chain and dangled it in front of her, "I made this for you. I thought you would like this."

Ashley's eyes widened, then softened, and she reached a hand out to gently touch the pendant. "It's beautiful," she whispered, before throwing her arms around Damien and hugging him tightly. She pressed a kiss to his lips. "Thank you...can you put it on for me?"

"Of course." He dropped his bag and took a step around her and brushed her hair aside and clasped the fine chain, letting the cool metal rest gently against her skin, "a little something I've been working on since we've been going out."

Ashley gently touched the pendant again, where it rested against her skin. "It's absolutely gorgeous," she said with a smile, looking over her shoulder at him. "You have talent...how on earth did you make this? And again, thank you so much! It's so sweet of you." None of the other guys had ever gotten her jewelry. They had simply hung out with her at Hogsmeade on weekends, as a sort of 'date', during which the guy would do his best to seduce her, while she kept things cool between them. Damien was...different. And she liked that.

He nodded, "it wasn't much trouble. Just took some coal and compressed it for several hours using alchemy. After that it was just a matter of cutting the trinket"

"Wasn't much trouble? That sounds complicated!" Ashley looked down at the necklace. "And you cut it...as I said, you have talent." She turned around, and kissed him again. "Thank you."

"You are most definitely welcome. Are you sure this is going to be ok? I mean with your parents and all." He looked a little nervous about it all.

Ashley nodded. "They won't find out. Not if I can help it," she said firmly. "If they do find out, I'll Obliviate them. Or I'll hex them. Whatever it takes to get you out safely." Her eyes were serious as she gazed at him. "But I need to warn you: avoid being alone with my father. He has a way of finding your secrets. If anything goes wrong, you follow my lead. I know that you have this alchemic power and all, but you cannot use it at my house. Believe me. If you were to use alchemy..." She shuddered. "Slytherin Purebloods are proud of their blood status for a reason. The ancient curses they know...all the tricks a good Slytherin uses...you don't want to mess with them

"Ok then. Does that mean I should stay next to you the entire time?"

"Yes. More than likely…"

(Some time later)

Damien looked around nervously, fidgeting with his suit, as he looked in the mirror, "look I've been in the same room a total of 5 minutes. I don't know what to do..."

Ashley looked at Damien and raised an eyebrow. She fiddled with the necklace hanging around her neck, feeling the cool metal against her skin. "Just use your manners," she murmured.

Footsteps alerted her to her parents' approach, and she turned, rising from her chair and smoothing the skirt of the dress she had changed to. "Mother, Father," she greeted with a cool smile. Her parents in turn each nodded. "Might I introduce Damien, Aaron's friend from Slytherin? He's the one I'll be visiting later on during the holidays."

Diane Selwyn eyed the young man coolly. "A pleasure to meet you," she said formally. Her husband, Ethan, approached, extending his hand to Damien.

"Welcome to our home," he said with the same cool politeness that his wife held.

Damien took Ethan's hand firmly and shook it, hiding his nervousness behind a smug smile that would have even fooled Aaron. He greeted Mrs. Selwyn with a polite and proper bow and returned back to Ashley's side. He leaned into Ashley to make a quick whisper, "Do they know they're going out yet?"

"It's quite the honor to meet you both. Ashley and Aaron have both spoke greatly of you," Damien said with a quick rebound, "please tell me if I am a burden. I don't wish to impose upon a great family such as yours." With that, a scoff could be heard from behind the doorway as Aaron walked through with a low chuckle, "You aren't that fancy pants, are you?"

"Come off it, Aaron. I do have manners from time to time. I think that you just bring out the lazy in me..."

Aaron looked sharply dressed in his casual dress outfit of a dark green button-up and black slacks. Damien had to admit, he felt a little under dressed.

Diane finished her assessment of the young man, and nodded slightly in response to his bow, her lips twitching with approval. Ashley held in a sigh of relief, instead whispering back to Damien, "Mother knows...and Father suspects. But follow my lead when referring to our relationship. I'll explain later."

Diane spoke up. "You are no burden to us, Mr. Kelmore. We are proud to have you visit us for the holidays." She turned a disapproving eye on Aaron. "The young man has manners, Aaron." A small smile tugged at her face. "Something I'm sure you would do well with, should you make the effort to learn."

Ashley hid a smile by coughing lightly. Her father raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

"I am sure you must want to unpack your things in your room," he interrupted. "Ashley, Aaron, show Mr. Kelmore around, and help him settle in. Afterwards, you may join us for tea in the sitting room, if you wish."

Ashley dipped her head. "Of course."

With that, Aaron stepped forward, a slight pout on his face at his mother's reprimand. "I'll take your bags," he said with a grin. Ashley shot him a smile as well, as she turned towards the door.

"Follow me," she said to Damien, exiting the room.

Damien hurried after Ashley, offering an arm to her, "that went over rather well. I was expecting a little more 'fire and brimstone'."

"I was surprised as well...Father was so calm...too calm," Ashley muttered. She accepted his arm, and glanced over her shoulder. No one there. Aaron was walking ahead, to give them a little time. His back muscles were tense, as he was obviously uncomfortable about their relationship still, but he said nothing. "Anyways, rule number one," Ashley murmured, turning back to Damien. "You are courting me. Not dating, but courting. It is the proper term. Rule number two: we do not mention our relationship unless asked about it. It is improper for an unmarried couple to do so in polite company. Rule number three: public displays of affection are minimal. A peck on the cheek, perhaps a gentle hug. You may put your arm around me, or offer your arm to me. But no true kisses, put a little distance between us sometimes, you get the idea." She grimaced. "There's lots more etiquette that you'll never have the time to learn...for now, just...stick to those three rules."

"You'll be surprised at how much etiquette I am familiar with my dear. I can hold to that. So what else do I need to know?'

Ashley looked at him thoughtfully. "You did well back there," she murmured. "Just make sure to look at me from time to time. If you ever see me shake my head, or raise my eyebrows or something, then you know that you're treading on dangerous ground...otherwise, just keep from spilling every thought you have. Be cool, polite, calm, and careful not to reveal too much about yourself."

"So just keep my mouth shut and avoid being alone with your father. Got it." Damien stopped as Aaron turned to go into the guest bedroom, "so this is where you grew up eh?"

Ashley grimaced. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Welcome to Paradise. Population? Two kids trying to survive two parents obsessed with social appearance." She rolled her eyes. "This will be your room for the next few days...mine's just down the hall."

"Well at least I'm not having to share a room with Aaron. Its bad enough I do it at school." he lightly put his hand on top of hers, "I can't wait to just get this over with."

Ashley smirked. "Yeah, he snores. Funny to listen to, if you don't have to sleep in the same room." She sighed. "I can't wait to get out of here either. That's why I love Hogwarts so much. They aren't there." She smiled slightly. "But it's much better with you here. They'll refrain from arguments, for fear of you seeing them arguing with us."

Damien paced around the library for a moment, looking up to Aaron every now and again, "I've done well to keep on the good side of your family Aaron. Where is Ashley? I'm getting a bit nervous without her around."

Aaron crossed his arms, an amused look on his face as he leaned against the wall. "She's probably still getting ready for dinner. And yeah, you've done pretty well with keeping Mother and Father content. I'm surprised. They aren't usually this amicable." He shrugged. "I guess they just don't want to have another row with Ash. The last one was pretty bad. They ended up bribing her to keep her from going to the Headmaster and asking to stay at Hogwarts for the summer." He chuckled. "That's probably why they avoid you and her."

Footsteps sounded, and Aaron half-turned, expecting to see Ashley. It was Ethan, however, who entered the room. "I apologize," the older man said, not sounding too sorry. "I didn't realize there was anyone in here. I do hope I didn't interrupt?"

"No, Father," Aaron said in a cool tone.

Ethan turned to Damien. "Ah, Damien. We haven't gotten to know each other very well the last few days. I do hope I have not offended you by not speaking to you earlier?"

"not at all sir. I was under the impression you were busy. I would have offered my help in your affairs of home, but I felt like I was prying too much sir."

Ethan studied Damien. "Yes, I have been...busy. You needn't worry about prying; I daresay my son would have informed you, should you have been prying." He entered the room, standing beside Aaron, who kept a blank face. "So, now that we have a few moments...how is your family? I trust your parents are well? I should very much like to meet them sometime..." He cleared his throat. "What are their names, might I ask?"

Damien looked around nervously, looking to the clock for an answer to when Ashley would get there. He tapped his foot impatiently, "my parents are fine... My mum at least is. I hardly ever hear from my father."

"Really?" Ethan murmured. "That's unfortunate...may I inquire as to why that is?" His eyes narrowed slightly; Damien hadn't answered him when asked about his parents' names. That was unfortunate indeed...he had looked forward to searching for these parents of his.

"my father is... Well my father is a difficult man. He's a military officer, you see. Um, if you don't mind me asking sir, what is it you do?"

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "A military officer? A fine position indeed."

Aaron discreetly shot Damien thumbs up, as his father continued. "I myself work within the Ministry. Other information is a bit more...classified, to young adults such as yourself, who are not within the Ministry."

He went to speak again, when more footsteps sounded in the corridor. Ashley appeared, the pale blue dress rustling softly as she entered. "Sorry I'm late," she began, then stopped. "Oh, Father! I'd expected you to be in the dining room!"

Ethan's expression didn't change, but he did catch the quick glance Ashley shot at Damien. "I was just on my way there, and decided to be polite and greet young Damien here properly," he said smoothly.

"I appreciate the greeting sir. Will you excuse me a moment? I need you daughter's help with something..." gave Ethan a short bow and headed out of the doorway, placing his hand around her arm as he took her away from the parlor, "that couldn't have gone by any worse."

Ethan nodded, a gleam in his eye as Damien and Ashley rushed out of the room. "Nice young man," he murmured, deep in thought. Aaron glanced at him; his father thinking did not bode well.

Ashley turned to Damien as soon as they were out of earshot. "He cornered you?" she hissed. "What did you say? You didn't give anything away, did you? What did you tell him? What went wrong?" Her eyes flashed with fear for a moment, and she glanced over her shoulder, as if expecting her father to come storming out at that moment.

"of course he cornered me. He came out of nowhere! I only told him my father was in the military... Didn't which or with whom." he looked at the walls, feeling paranoid for a moment. "I can only imagine that your father has the resources to find my family."

Ashley groaned. "You'd better believe he has the resources," she said grimly. "He has contacts at the Ministry. All he has to do is ask for a Kelmore from some sort of military...thank Merlin we leave in a day..."


	8. Chapter 8: The Kelmore House

Surviving the week at the Selwyn house seemed like he should have gotten a medal for even agreeing to it. He really hoped that nothing turns up on whatever Mr. Selwyn find about his family. This was the easier end of the last of their vacation; a week with Damien's family. Admittedly, Damien had a bit of a problem with his father, but it was something he'd be willing to push aside for the sake of getting along while Ashley was at his house.

The house itself wasn't as big as the Selwyn's, but it was a modest two-story house with a big front and back yard. With a gentle rapping at the door, Damien looked happily at Ashley, feeling a rush of nervousness hit him again. He held her hand as the door opened to the warm smile and dark brown hair of Mrs. Kelmore, "come in, come in. Damien!" She flung her arms around her son and kissed his cheek, wiping away a bit of lipstick. Her slim figure and youthful defied her real age as she looked to Ashley and gave a curt nod, "well, this must be the girl you've been talking soooo much about dear. Ashley... Selwyn, if I'm not mistaken?"

Ashley looked up at Damien's house. She bit her lips nervously as the door opened. Would his parents like her? She needn't have worried, because the woman that stood behind the door happily and affectionately hugged her son. Already, Ashley could tell the difference between their families.

"Yes, I'm Ashley," she replied shyly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Kelmore." Her hand lightly squeezed Damien's.

"Our home is your home Ashley, please make yourself comfortable. Damien, if you don't mind taking her bags up to the guest bedroom, your father is downstairs."

"Doing what? Didn't he know we were coming?"

"Of course he did dear, but you know him..."

Suddenly a loud boom shook the floor a little and the sound of an astonished yelp could be heard alongside coughing. The door to the basement kicked open and a tall man with white hair stumbled out, coughing as he whipped smoke away from his face. He looked around the room to see some new faces. He had a long scar across his left cheek from his ear, taking away from the cold, sharpness of his blue eyes.

"We have guests? Why wasn't I told?"

"I did... I kicked the floor and yelled at you and you blew me off!"

"Well, excuse my manners. I'm sure Elyse has welcomed you in. My name is Ian."

Ashley jumped as something exploded, sending her crashing into Damien. She blushed in embarrassment, as the door opened. "Hello," she said with a small laugh. Already, she liked Damien's parents. They had more life to them than her statuesque parents. She glanced at the curling smoke behind the man curiously. What did he do for a living? Was he an alchemist too?

Damien's father adjusted himself to look more presentable, with his wife helping him, "what the blazes were you doing done there, Ian? Please don't tell me you were trying to bring back that rabbit. You really need to put that aside for a while, while the kids are here. Speaking of which, Amanda! Get down here young lady!" a girl ran out onto the balcony ledge of the second story, looking down, "yes mum?" "your brother and his girlfriend are here! Don't be ungracious."

Ashley shot an amused grin at Damien. "Bring back a rabbit?" she mouthed, curious. Her attention was drawn by the girl that appears up above, Amanda, if she'd heard Elyse correctly. "I didn't know you had a sister," she said with a smile. "She doesn't go to Hogwarts, does she?"

Damien leaned in closer to her, watching as the 15 year old girl from the balcony came running down, "she doesn't. I'm the only wizard in my family, the rest are muggle alchemists. My father is an alchemist... Fiddling around with things he shouldn't be."

Amanda was finally down stairs and ran over to her brother giving him a sour look, "who's she?"

"forgive my sister... She's a bit lacking of manners and other things. Mum just said this is my girlfriend. Ashley, meet Amanda."

Ashley nodded with interest, hiding her amusement at the girl's sour expression. "Hi, Amanda, I'm Ashley," she said cheerfully. "It's a delight to meet you. I never cared much for manners. I get too much of that at home." She smiled in a friendly way. Muggles, hm? This would be interesting!

"I've never met a Muggle family before," she whispered with wonder. "They're so much nicer than the wizarding families I know..."

"yes well we may not possess the powers of magic that make life easier, but we are happy none the less," Elyse said with a tinge of sadness behind it. She recovered quickly and headed towards the kitchen, "Damien, show her the guest room. Amanda, help me get the kitchen a bit tidy?" Damien offered his arm to her.

Ashley accepted his arm, and followed Damien towards the guest bedroom. "I wish my parents were like yours," she sighed. "They seem so much more human than mine." She smirked. "Imagine what my father would say if I told him that."

"I'd rather not. Besides, we play our cards right, you can keep my crazy family as your own and I'll get adopted by another family. Hehe. In any event, here's your room." he pushed to door open to a simple room with a four poster bed and red sheets. He walked in, taking a seat on an old rocker placed in the corner, "it's not much, I admit, but its home. This used to be my nursery when I was a baby, believe it or not."

Ashley smirked. "Any family would be better than mine," she laughed, "I guess I'd keep Aaron. But he's the only one."

She looked around the room. "Aww, this was your nursery? Little baby Damien," she cooed. "I like it. My room is too roomy. This...this is cozy. More home-like." She smiled.

"laugh all you want. I can't wait until my mother breaks out the baby photos," he said sarcastically. "I was a cute baby, if you must know."

Ashley giggled. "I think I like your mother. Finally, someone who can embarrass you." She winked at him. "I'm sure you were an adorable baby, considering how you turned out. I was a cute baby too, I'm sure. I always got my way. And I was definitely cuter than Aaron." She chuckled.

"I would hope you turned out cuter than your brother... It would be a tad weird if you weren't" he laughed as he moved in for a kiss, "you know, there has always been something I've wanted to tell you. I really, really care about you. If you need to get away from your parents house... You can always stay with me?"

Ashley frowned for a moment. "I don't know..." she said after a moment. "On the one hand, I want nothing more than to escape my parents...on the other hand, if I leave now...I risk being disowned. Especially if I leave for a guy they barely know." She glanced at him, torn. "I can't leave just yet...If I'm disowned...I don't know what I'll do!"

He put his arms around her in a comforting hug, "sweetheart. You're more likely to be disowned for dating me than you are for moving in. Besides, I was merely offering an escape route for you."

Ashley sighed. "I'd rather be disowned for dating you," she muttered. "Or not disowned at all." She smiled at him. "But thanks. It means a lot to me. And now I know I have somewhere to go if I ever need to get away from them. Maybe during Father and Aaron's next spat." She laughed.

Later that day

Damien sat outside with his father, staring blankly at the sky, reluctantly leaving Ashley to be with his mother helping with dinner. He wasn't sure how well this would go over, but he knew that it go over better than it did with Ashley's parents. Elyse opened up the cupboard and sifted through all the ingredients, trying to find nutmeg to finish off making the pies, "So Ashley, how did you and Damien meet?"

Ashley was leaning against the counter, feeling like she should be doing something to help. She blushed lightly at the question. "Well, we first saw each other when Damien went to be Sorted. Then he met my brother, who introduced us, knowing Damien liked me. I had a boyfriend at the time," here, she wrinkled her nose, "And decided to just be friends. But then Jon and I broke up, and I decided to move on. Damien, of course, jumped at the opportunity." She smiled softly.

"How sweet! I've never known my son to be such a romantic. I've always thought he'd turn into his father, which is either good or bad. Here." She reached back with the bottle of nutmeg to give to Ashley, "Put a dash of this into the mix over there please." She closed the cupboard and turned with a slightly pained look in her eyes, "It's a good thing he's not like his father. Means things will be happier between the two of you. Not that I don't think my husband isn't a good man or that he doesn't love me, its just he's... different."

Ashley accepted the nutmeg from the woman, and shook it lightly over the mix, before setting it down with a slight frown. "Different? He doesn't seem too different...unless explosions like the one when I arrived are frequent? Is that what you mean?"

"No... my husband is... my husband is a necromancer for something called the Alchemist Vanguard. He's always working and he's a bit abusive. Not lately anyways... He hasn't in a year... mostly because he isn't here." She turned to Ashley and looked down at the floor, "I love my husband, but I love my son more. It would be nice to hear from you every now and again just to tell me how you are and how Damien is treating you. I just want to make sure he isn't going to turn out like his father."

Ashley's eyes widened in sympathy. "I'm so sorry," she said softly. "My father is abusive as well, though verbally, not physically." She fought the urge to hug the older woman as she nodded. "I'm sure Damien

will treat me well...he already does, and he protected me from my ex and one of the Professors. Not to mention a friend of mine..." She sighed. "I'm sure he'll be fine..."

"then you really have nothing to worry about my dear. I tried my best to raise Damien to be more chivalrous than anything. He has a great respect for girls." she walked over and was about to give Ashley a hug when a broken glass broke her from her motion. She looked towards the sound, which was outside, and rushed to the door to find Damien standing inches from his father, staring him down for a fight, "you promised you weren't going to do this now! You said you were going to at least stay until we were gone next week."

"the Vanguard called me in. I must go!"

"bullshit! You're just going to disappear downstairs and work on your damned experiments. I know you... You always do that!"

"don't you dare yell at me. I will..."

"you'll what? What can you do that you already haven't done, huh? I bring someone home for the whole family to meet and not once have I seen you sit down and talk with her. Hell you haven't even talked to me since I've been back!"

Ashley smiled. "That's good," she started to say. She whirled at the sound of breaking glass, her wand drawn before she realized it, her heart pounding in surprise. She rushed over with Elyse, and her eyes widened. Damien and his father were yelling at each other...and it did not look pretty. This was almost as bad as when her father and Aaron fought...and if it got any worse, like the ones at home...they would come to blows or hexes...or in this case, alchemic spells or something. Ashley gasped softly, shrinking back into the kitchen in terror. For a moment, Damien's house disappeared, replaced by the ornate office that belonged to her father. It was Aaron and her father, not Damien and his father, that were arguing. And she was helpless to stop it. A single tear leaked from her eye.

Damien reached back to throw a punch but walked away from him in a huff. He stopped at the doorway and spat at the floor, "go ahead... Get out then. You won't see me here when you get back and I sure as hell won't need to see you again."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Means after I graduate from Hogwarts, I'm not coming back here."

Ashley was pressed against the kitchen counter when Damien decided against hitting his father, and she flinched slightly at the angry tones. But she managed to hold back the tears that threatened to surface. So like her father and brother...only Damien was significantly kinder to her at times. This wasn't home. She carefully kept a blank expression on her face.

No emotion, she told herself. Emotion is weakness...that's what her father said. Damien lifted his head and let his eyes fall upon Ashley, which made him feel horrible. She didn't need to see this, with all that she went through at home, she definitely didn't need this now. He took a few steps closer to her and open his arms to her, "I'm sorry Ash... I didn't... I mean. I just sorry."

Ashley tried to keep her expression neutral, but failed. Her face crumpled as Damien opened his arms, and she ran to him, burying her face into his chest. "I-I thought...you...Aaron and Father..." She continued to try to form a coherent sentence, then gave up.

Damien ran his fingers through her hair, comforting her as best as he can. He could hear his mother arguing with his father then the faint sounds of dust hitting the window. He ignored all else around him and continued to caress Ashley as best he could, "its ok. It's not going to happen again. I swear it."

Ashley held him tightly. Her voice was muffled as she said, "I was afraid you'd get hurt...'cause when Aaron and Father fight, Aaron usually ends up hurt." She looked up at him, her face white. "It's bad enough having to heal him. I don't want to have to heal you too!"

"you won't have to. Its not going to happen anymore." he brought her in closer and gave her one more kiss, "we'll back at school soon and things'll be alright again." Unseen at the window were peeping eyes... Eyes that would later hurt them.


	9. Chapter 9: Trouble In Field and House

There was supposed to be a snow storm rolling in right about now. Great weather to fly in, blizzards. Damien had snuck away from the rest of the Slytherin Team, which seemed to be awfully quiet despite the fact that it was a rematch against Ravenclaw. He walked up behind Ashley and pulled her away from everyone else, "hey! How are you holding up?

Ashley turned to see Damien, and she gave him a bright smile. "I'm doing well, but it's a little cold right now. Thank goodness for heating charms," she laughed, giving him a tight hug. "And how are you?"

Damien said with a quiver of doubt through his voice, "I'm fine, but I'm not sure about my house mates. They've all been actin' kinda squirrely if you know what I mean? None of my team has talked to me or given me a moment to talk with them about a game plan since we got on the pitch. Something's off, so just watch yourself will ya?"

"fratinizin' with the enemy about our game plan are we?" said one of the beaters who came around looking for Ashley. He gave a quick friendly nod towards Damien and waved to Ashley, "just kidding, but seriously come on. The games about to start." Damien looked back to his side of the pitch and cursed under his breath, "good luck, sweetheart." he quickly pecked her cheek and ran off.

Ashley nodded, a worried expression on her face. "I'll be careful," she murmured. "But you be careful too. Good luck," she called, as he ran off. She shot an amused look at her teammate. "I make a point of fraternizing with the enemy," she laughed. "It's the Slytherin in me."

They all climbed onto their brooms, each taking off and flying to their starting positions. Ashley flew up, noting how a few of the Slytherins swerved away from her as she flew past. Something wasn't right.

Damien had barely gotten to the Slytherin's side of the pitch as the team bolted out box and into the air to circle once or twice through the snowstorm. Though visibly was terrible, shadowy figures could be seen from far away. He rushed to his point get a line on Ashley and everyone else but the strangest thing happened. The keeper rushed up along side him and pushed him hard with some malice. "You're playing keeper." Damien gave him a snarl but let no answer as he flew to his new post as the Keeper.

Ashley squinted hard as visibility began to slowly decrease. She frowned; Damien wasn't playing Seeker. Why? Where was he? She attempted to glance around, but didn't see anything. Great. Try finding the Snitch in this weather. She rolled her eyes, and continued looking around. Still no Damien.

The referee came out onto the field and aimed her wand up, sending blue sparks into the air, clearing the fog from the playing field so that it wasn't as thick as ice. With that she blew her whistle and tossed the quaffle up into the air, starting the match. Damien watched as the quaffle juked back and forth between teams, finally landing up into Ravenclaw hands. He swooped down to catch it before it could slip through the hoop and raised a hand triumphantly. One of his teammates came down and plucked it from his hands and pushed him aside.

Ashley scanned the playing field, occasionally watching the quaffle. She noticed the way Damien's teammate had shoved him aside, and she frowned. Pretending to spot the Snitch, she dove down, and "accidentally" brushed the end of the boy's broom, causing him to almost lose his balance. In the process, he let go of the Quaffle, and it was taken by her team once more. Ashley smirked, finally spotting the Snitch and darting after it.

Damien gritted his teeth as the boy who took his place as seeker chased after Ashley. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the quaffle being hurtled at him and a quick reflex saved it from scoring. He chucked the oddly shaped sphere at a team mate to get the ball to the other side. One of the Beaters grinned as the bludger came his way as he struck it towards Damien who kept an eye on the now fast moving Ashley as she zipped past the other seeker. Once again a blur caught his eye but this time, it wasn't catchable. He tried to avoid it, throwing his hands up to try and deflect the blow, but it was too late. The bludger struck him in the chest, sending him off of his broom and onto the quaffle hoop. He fought through the pain and lack of breath to pull himself up to the safety of the inside of the hoop.

Once he got back up, he could feel fluid in his lungs and a sharp pain in his ribs, but none of that mattered right now. The quaffle once again came back his direction and from the hoop, he threw himself back onto his broom and stopped the goal, this time catching the dirty looks from his teammates. He threw the quaffle to one of the Ravenclaws and zoomed past the rest of his team, letting them score. He headed towards Ashley, not letting anything stand in his way.

Ashley turned to check on the other Seeker for a moment, having lost sight of the Snitch as it were. She gasped as Damien was thrown backwards onto the hoop, by a bludger that his own teammate had hit at him! Her eyes darkened with anger. "That's it," she snarled to herself. Suddenly, her broom lurched forward, as something hit her from behind. Again, another jolt almost shook her off of the broom. She turned again to see the Slytherin Seeker hard on her tail, about to ram her again with a malicious grin on his face.

His grin faded however, as he registered the fury on her face, and he pulled up short. Just in time too, for in a flash, Ashley had whirled on him, braking sharply. "What is your problem?" she snapped. The other Seeker merely grinned again. He suddenly accelerated, and Ashley tried to dart out of his way. No such doing.

The crowd gasped as she lost her balance, and slipped off of the broom. Thankfully, she had kept one hand gripping the broom, so she managed to pull herself up after a few heart-pounding moments. Dimly, she thought she heard Aaron's voice above the other shouting students, yelling, "She was not to be hurt! You idiot! Knock it off!"

The other Seeker hesitated in his headlong rush towards the newly recovered Ashley. That hesitation was all she needed, as she flew directly at him. The boy lurched, barely holding on, as her fist connected with his face on her way past. Again, another gasp from the crowd, with a few cheers. With a sneer, she flew farther away from him, towards Damien, who was flying towards her.

Damien clutched his chest in pain as the fluid continued to fill his lungs. He pointed his hand towards the bludger veering off somewhere, pulling it towards his target using the air around it to guide it like a missile. His aim couldn't have been more perfect as he hit the Seeker chasing after Ashley in the head, pulling along side her and dipping down slightly, "follow me!"

Ashley needed no second urging, as another bludger sailed over her own head. She dove down with him, occasionally glancing at him. His face was contorted in pain; had he been badly hurt when hit by the bludger? What was going on?

Damien lead through the mess that were players going back and forth trying to take the ball. He reached out and snatched the quaffle from his own team and tossing it back to the Ravenclaws, searching for the snitch as he dodged another bludger.

"What are you doing?" Ashley called over the noise of the crowds below. She flew alongside Damien now. "The Slytherins aren't going to be happy!"

She dodged a bludger, and it narrowly missed Damien as well. She shot a look of fury at the offending Slytherin Beater. Suddenly, something gold darted in front of her nose. The Snitch! Her hand swept out, and she felt the tiny flutter of wings in her hand. "I got it!" she crowed, keeping her fist tightly shut.

He didn't have a chance to answer, let alone move to grab the Snitch, but with the way the rest of his team had been acting towards him, he didn't care. He headed groundside and hopped off of his broom to be greeted by angry teammates. They looked ready to kill, but backed up slowly as Professor Dumbledore walked up behind Damien with a third year with a camera in hand. "Superb maneuvering, Mr. Kelmore!"

Ashley landed beside Damien, for once glad she had taken to carrying her wand around at all times. She lightly patted her pocket, making sure her wand was still there, easily accessible. Fortunately, however, Dumbledore's appearance kept the Slytherins from advancing. She glares at them when Dumbledore wasn't watching. "It was rather fantastic flying," she managed to say, hiding her worry.

"Well Mr. Kelmore, why is it that you kept taking the quaffle from your own team?" "Did you see what they were doing? They were purposely attacking me! I'm not standing by idly why they do tha-" he coughed harshly, tasting the iron in his blood welling in his mouth. He spat at the floor and clutched his ribs for a minute, "broke a rib or two... Not feeling good right now." "Well I can escort you to the Hospital Wing in a moment. We haven't had a couple on opposing teams face each other so fiercely. Would you mind taking a quick picture for us?"

Ashley placed her arm on Damien's, concern on her face. She glanced at Dumbledore. "Make it quick," she pleaded. "I'll feel better once you're in the Hospital Wing," she murmured to Damien. "You were really brave though, to keep going. You could have been even worse hurt!" She looked up at him, her eyes studying his face.

He looked into Ashley's eyes and forgot all about his pain. All he cared about was that she wasn't hurt. He nodded and held himself up better, ignoring the pain in his chest as best as he could. Dumbledore offered to the couple two rolled up pieces of cloth; each had their respective houses on it. "Now. Pose yourselves however you wish."

Ashley accepted the flag from Dumbledore, and looked up at Damien. She wrapped her arm around his waist gently, trying to be careful not to jar his ribs. "Let me know if I'm hurting you," she said softly, smiling at him.

"Don't worry about me so much. I'm a big boy." he said with a wicked smile on his lips. He leaned in to kiss her, feeling now surprisingly calm. He put his arm around her waist and waited for the bright flash to come out of the camera.

Ashley laughed, tossing her head back as the camera flashed. She leaned in to kiss him as the camera flashed again, and she lightly swatted his shoulder. "But you like having me worry about you, don't you?" she teased, whispering in his ear. "Boosts your manly pride."

He shook his head and dipped her into another kiss, watching the flash out of the corner of his eye. Once he brought her back upright, he simply smiled and offered his flag back to Dumbledore, "I really lost all sense of manly pride when we started going out. All I have now is you and really that's about all I need right now. Right now though, I think we should head to the Hospital Wing."

Ashley handed her flag back to Damien, her face again contorting with concern. "Well, then, let's get there as fast as we can...you're hurt.

Madame Pomfrey will definitely want to look at you. Stupid Slytherins...Aaron should talk some sense into them," she murmured. She began walking away from the Quidditch pitch.

A little later

Damien's injuries weren't as bad as he thought they were, but they were pretty serious. Within an hour he was released from the Hospital Wing and back into his house he went. There stood all of his classmates, first year through seventh, glaring at him with Aaron at the head of the line. "Aaron, what's going on? You talk to Stilt about his constant attack on me with that damned bludger?"

Aaron smiled slightly, but it wasn't a friendly smile. "Oh, I talked to him alright," he said coldly. "I gave him a nice lecture on following orders and only doing what he is instructed to do. I then congratulated him on a job well done, despite his attack on my sister a few times."

His eyes hardened. "You have some guts, I'll give you that," he said in an icier voice. "That or you're just plain stupid, for tempting fate like that. Did you expect to hide everything from us? From her?"

Damien looked at him confused, knowing he had probably found out about his being a muggleborn. He stepped forward and put his hand up to try and reason with Aaron, "what the bloody hell are you talking about Aaron? Hide what from who?"

Aaron snorted. "I'm not an idiot. Don't play me for one, Kelmore." His tone grew even more unfriendly as one by one, every Slytherin trained their wands on Damien. "If you'd just told us about it, we wouldn't have to go through so much trouble. Sure, you'd be the shame of Slytherin house, but no one would have gotten hurt. But no, you had to go and lie to us all. And now, not only have you lied to us, but you lied to my sister too! And that, Kelmore, is the last straw. Nobody messes with my sister. Nobody hurts her, you understand?"

He crossed his arms angrily. "You will tell her the truth, and you will be punished for your lies. You will not play her heart any longer. You filthy Mudblood." All of the Slytherins whispered the word to themself, creating an ominous echoing effect. A few of the Slytherins, being Muggleborn themselves, looked a little uncomfortable saying the word, but say it they did, lest they risk the wrath of the Halfbloods and Purebloods. They were even more determined to prove that they belonged in Slytherin, and so raised their wands a little higher. "What do you have to say for yourself?" Aaron hissed.

Damien started to head for the portrait doorway, when several Slytherin classmates circled around him to prevent his escape. He look into Aaron's eyes kept his surrounding environment in check. He felt someone reach around his neck and the first thing he recalled how to do was fight, the way Minsk had taught him. a loud snap and two loud crunches made everyone back away slightly as the boy who tried to jump him got his arm broken in two places then his leg. Damien spun him around as he tossed him through the air at the attackers in front of him.

"She already knows, idiot! Seriously Aaron. We're best mates, man! Don't act like this. Just back down, I have no fight with you."

Aaron stiffened. "She knows?" he asked in a deadly calm voice. Somehow, this tone held menace than his previous tone. "She knows and she still stays with you? Interesting...Find her!" he snapped at the 7th year standing nearest the door. Without another word, the student left, and the portrait closed after him. "I have no mudbloods for best mates...you know my father...Ashley does too. They won't be pleased to hear about this..." Aaron shook his head at the thought, lips twitching.

"As for you, we need you contained until she gets here...stupefy!"

About twenty other similar stunning spells flew at Damien. Damien tried to go after the kid leaving to get Ashley, but the spells all stormed towards him. He crossed his arms in front of him, then raised to lift a wall of air around him to keep the spells hitting him. He dispelled the wall afterwords, looking right into the eyes of everyone who was trying to attack.

"Aaron. I swear to the gods, stop this."

Aaron looked startled at what he thought was wandless magic, but his face hardened. "No," he spat. "We don't like liars, especially lying Mudbloods. Nor do we like it when they corrupt one of our number." The portrait opened once more, to reveal the seventh year holding Ashley's arm tightly in his grip. She looked more angry than scared, but her face paled when she saw how many Slytherins had their wands trained on Damien. Still, she kept her expression angry, hiding the fear that gripped her.

"Aaron, tell this idiot that simply telling me you wanted me would be nicer than wrenching my arm from my socket," she growled, yanking her arm back. Aaron walked over to her.

"You knew, yet you didn't say anything?" he asked quietly.

Ashley lifted her chin. "Knew what?"

"His blood status." Ashley paled even further. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. "Say it isn't true," Aaron pleaded. "Tell me you didn't know?"

"How did you find out?" she asked in a whisper. Aaron's face grew hard.

"Father won't be happy to hear this," he snarled, backing away from her. Ashley stood there, stunned.

"Aaron, you can't tell him," she begged. "You know what he'll do!"

"I trusted you...both of you!" He shot a glare at Damien. "I trusted you, and you betrayed me. You sicken me. Thus, some sort of punishment is needed."

He snapped, and the seventh year grabbed Ashley's arm. Her foot flashed, and a sharp crack was heard. The kid backed away, clutching his broken ribs. "Don't touch me," she said in a low voice. The next person to approach her received a broken nose, courtesy of her fist.

She reached for her wand when...

"Stupefy!" The stunner hit her from behind. Aaron lowered his wand.

"I'm sorry, Ash, but someone has to punish you...better me than Father," he whispered. "Petrificus totalus."

Ashley could only watch in frozen rage as he took her wand, then had three others stand her up. Five out of the multitude of wands were trained on her. Suddenly, the silence was broken by the murmuring of a Silencing charm, then... "Crucio!" She didn't see who had cast it as pain suddenly erupted in her. The petrifying spell ended in time for her to scream in pain, collapsing to the floor.

Damien rushed forward to try and protect Ashley, but several students jumped out and grabbed him. He was dropped onto his knees and forced to watch as she was tortured in the Common Room, but none other than her own brother. He fought against the many hands but more grabbed down and forced him to stay, "Aaron! STOP THIS NOW!"

Aaron continued the curse, and his eyes gleamed with slight tears, but he kept a stony expression. "If I stop, Kelmore, then it will be our father who tortures her...and would you rather see her bleeding in a heap, torn to pieces?"

Ashley continued to writhe in pain, her screaming hoarser, "Damien...you...can't...stop him," she cried between screams. "He's right!" Aaron paused for a moment, and she shuddered, tears streaking down her face. But she looked up lovingly at Damien. "I knew what the consequences would be," she whispered. "Better him than Father."

Aaron's face hardened even further. "You betrayed me," he growled. "I can't believe you. Crucio!" Ashley again screamed in pain, beginning to plead for it to stop.

Damien screamed in anger, feeling the air around him to shift. He slipped his arm out of it joint to break free from his captures. He quickly (and painfully) popped it back in as he threw himself at Aaron. Once he broke the spell off, he used the air to push everyone away and grabbed her and ran towards the door, "run! Get help and run!"

Ashley whimpered in pain as the curse was lifted, and she squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, she was horrified to see the murderous gleam in Aaron's eyes.

Aaron had never felt such power - or hatred - before. As sick as he felt at torturing his twin, he couldn't help but revel in the power he held over her, forcing her to cower before him. Having tasted power and liked it...there was no going back.

His hatred boiled as he saw Damien reach for his sister to pull her up, and she let out a soft gasp of pain when she was pulled to her feet. His pulse pounded in his ears as he aimed his wand at Damien.

"Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, flinging the curse at the mudblood who had stolen his sister.

Ashley looked up in time to see Aaron's mouth forming the words, and ignoring the dizzying pain, she threw herself at Damien, knocking both herself and him out of the way. The curse sailed just past the back of her head. Ashley spun around, horror overcoming the pain. "A-Aaron," she whispered. He didn't hear her, intent on trying again.

"Avada Kedavra," he snarled again, and Ashley almost wished the green light was headed towards her. Her twin was about to become a murderer.

"No!" she screamed.

The flash of green vanished as quickly as it came and Aaron's figure disappeared behind a wall of stone. Damien looked to where he hit his hand on the ground to create the wall then to Ashley and gave her a quick kiss, "Ash, you ok?"

Ashley looked up at him, her eyes horrified. "H-he tried to kill you," she whispered. Her entire body convulsed from the after-effects of the Cruciatus, and from shock. "He used the Killing Curse..." Her eyes rolled back in her head for a moment, as she fought to keep from passing out. "We've got to get out of here," she murmured. "I'll talk to him later..."

"I don't think we'll have the chance to talk to him." he stood and lowered the wall, sending bolts of air to knockback several students and keep attacks down. He slammed his foot down and sent a wall of spikes which forced everyone back, "Ash! Get the door."

Ashley was still in a state of shock, but she managed to stumble to the door and throw herself against it, causing it to fly open.

"C'mon!" she cried, all but falling through the door.

Aaron stopped one student as they moved towards Damien. "He's mine," he snarled, and the student moved back. "Let them run...they can't hide forever." For spite, he threw one last curse, the Cruciatus, at Damien, allowing Ashley to escape if she wanted to.

As Damien turned around to follow Ashley, the strangest pain had washed over his body, leaving him paralyzed and writhing in pain. Every twinge hurt worse and worse as he tried to wiggle his way out but to no avail. At the doorway, so close to freedom, with nowhere to go, but six feet under if he didn't figure out how to get out.

Ashley turned, not feeling Damien beside her. Her mouth opened in horror, as she saw Damien writhing under the very same curse she had just received. "No!" she cried, as Aaron ended the curse, and fired a cutting curse. She lunged back into the room, and blocked Damien with her body, allowing the curse to hit her instead.

Aaron lowered his wand in shock as red suddenly began to stain his sister's chest and stomach. She clutched at her midsection in pain and surprise, and looked up at him. Aaron whispered, "Ash," as she fell beside Damien.

The crowd of Slytherins moved forward, but with Aaron's firm, "Leave them," they stopped, glaring down at Damien and Ashley.

Damien shuddered as the last of the pain faded away from him. He felt a warm trickle through his shirt then realized the weight on his chest was that of Ashley. He sat up and clutched her in his arms, feeling his blood boiling with anger, "damn you Aaron! You've lost it man!"

Aaron's face was like stone. "Get out," he said coldly. "We don't accept lying mudbloods in our House. Mudbloods, maybe, but not lying Mudbloods. Get out, and take that traitor with you."

Ashley clutched at the wound, gasping painfully. "Damien...please," she whispered. "We have to get out of here...Don't...provoke him..."

Damien stumbled to his feet, picking Ashley up into his arms. He looked into Aaron's eyes for another moment before falling into the doorway and out of the door into the hallway. The sounds of hurried footsteps and professors yelling at students to go back to their dorms. Dumbledore and Minsk were the first to reach the injured couple. The world faded around him and a cold hand grasped his consciousness.


	10. Chapter 10:The Bloodline Fidelity

Ashley felt herself fading in and out of consciousness. Garbled voices and words reached her ears.

"Tortured...lucky she didn't go crazy...horrific...monster, to do this...lost so much blood...might not make it..."

The panicked voices faded as she again slipped into darkness. When she came to again, they were less panicked. "Stable...doing well...pulling through...strong...fighter, she is...waking up! She's waking up!"

Ashley's eyes fluttered open, as Meghan's face came into view, alongside a few other classmates. "Alright, move," the mediwitch huffed, as she approached. The students were shooed outside to wait, as Ashley moved to sit up. Her head and chest ached as she did so.

"Ah, ah, no moving," Pomfrey ordered. "Stay still and drink this."

Ashley did as she was told, before rasping, "Damien? Where is he?"

Minsk took one step over from Damien's bed and put a hand on Ashley's head, "Kelmore's right here. He's hurt pretty badly, though what we heard, you had it off worse with that cutting spell." he backed away, revealing Damien to be unconscious, riddled with bruising up and down his body. Beyond the curtains that were put up for the couples protection were a dozen or so students hurt from fighting with Damien.

Ashley's eyes filled with pain. "Oh, Damien," she whispered brokenly. "I'm so sorry...I should never have agreed...should never have let you have my heart...I put you in danger..."

She sat up with difficulty, and clutched at her chest as she staggered out of the bed. She shot Minsk a glare, daring him to force her to stay in bed, as she made her way to Damien's side. With a tired and pained huff, she sat on the edge of the bed, and gently ran her fingers down his jaw. "I'm so sorry," she whispered again. "This was all my fault..."

Minsk reached out to grab Ashley, but it was already apparent that she wasn't going anywhere. He backed away a few steps then came around the other side of the bed, "its not your fault Ms. Selwyn. Its no one's fault here. Kelmore has always been a stubborn fool, like his father. Its kind of how his parents met." He offered her a hand to lay her down next to him, "he's a strong lad, much stronger than I ever thought he was. And I think that's because of whatever he has felt for you. Don't give up on him, yet."

Ashley accepted Minsk's help as she lay down, weakly propping her head up on her hand. "No, it is my fault. I knew this would happen eventually...I had just hoped it would wait until we were out of Hogwarts. I didn't think it would go so far, either. I expected to receive what I did; it is typical when a Pureblood is found to have a forbidden relationship. But for him to attack Damien...to try to kill him...I didn't think he had it in him. Father does, I'm sure...but not Aaron...not my twin brother."

A single tear ran down her face, as she looked down at Damien. "Minsk...What if he doesn't want me anymore after this? I've given up everything...my family, my name...even my best friend, my brother. There's nothing for me if he decides we're done. Now...he's all I have left." She looked up sadly, more tears beginning to form.

Damien shuttered, groaning in pain as the world around him became fuzzy and unclear. Minsk gently put a hand on his head and kept him from sitting up, "now's a good time to ask him yourself, Ms. Selwyn. I highly doubt that your answer will be a hard one to take..." he snapped his fingers in front of Damien's eyes, a tiny spark emitting, bringing Damien's focus back quickly, "ow... What in hell man. That hurts!" "quit complaining. It's not the first time I've done that.

Ashley's eyes widened as Damien finally awoke. The worry faded slightly, as she struggled to sit up properly, propping herself up on one elbow. "Thank goodness you're awake," she breathed. "Oh, Damien,

I'm so sorry you had to go through that...you've probably never felt the Cruciatus Curse before...I'm so stupid, I should have hexed him before he hexed you..."

He shook his head and placed a shaky hand against her cheek, "no. It's not your fault. It was Aaron's fault. Are you alright? Are you hurt badly?"

Ashley shook her head. "It was my fault. I knew what could happen if we were found out..." She sighed. "I don't know how badly hurt I was," she continued quietly. "Hopefully there won't be too much scarring...how are you doing?"

"really sore, but overall, just fine. I'm just worried about you. What happened after I blacked out. I remember carrying Ashley out then I hit the stairs..." he turned to Minsk and held a hand out. "Dumbledore stormed in with several other teachers and disarmed everyone. We summoned your father to come in. Headmaster Dippet will be along soon to resort you into a different house."

Ashley paled. "You didn't notify my father too, did you?" she asked in a trembling voice. "I can't...can't face him. He'll kill me! Well, maybe not...but it'd be worse than what Aaron did!" Ashley began to shudder, and she wrapped her arms around herself, ignoring the painful protests of her body.

"your father was notified, but he was denied access to the castle. For your protection, that is. Your brother has been expelled..."he said with a sorrowful tone, "is there something you wanted to ask Damien?"

Ashley let out a sigh of relief. Then she became sorrowful. "He would have finished well...we were so excited for this year," she murmured. She looked over at Damien, chewing on her lip nervously.

"Um...Damien, I need to know. How...how serious are you about our relationship? There's no going back for me; I gave up everything for you. I don't want to have to find out that you don't really care too much for our relationship." She looked away, flushing slightly.

"for all the things I've had to go through and all of the feelings I've got stored up inside, why the hell would I think that? I love you Ashley and I don't think anything will keep me from you." Minsk mad a sickened look and walked away with a little laugh, leaving the couple alone to be amused on their own.

Ashley's eyes softened, and she kissed the side of his jaw softly,"Thank you," she said quietly. "I need you right now...there's nothing left. My father is probably going to try to kill me, or in the very least he will disown me. You're the only thing I have...thank you."

Her voice softened to a whisper. "I love you too."

When Ashley awoke from the fitful sleep she been in, she was startled to see Professor Dumbledore there, his eyes suspiciously grim. "What is it?" she rasped, her throat dry. He conjured a glass of water for her, which she drank gratefully.

"Headmaster Dippet wanted me to tell you that your father is waiting for you in his office. He wants to talk to you." Ashley's eyes flashed with fear.

"I don't want to go," she whispered. Professor Dumbledore looked at her sympathetically.

"You have to. Your father has called upon an ancient tradition...you have to go when Summoned." Ashley shrunk back into the bed. To be Summoned meant he intended to disown her, as well as punish her for her betrayal of their familial ideals. She shuddered. And the fact that it was ancient blood magic made it mandatory for her to go, lest he invoke the rest of the ceremony - the part that could end up with her being dead. Why, oh why hadn't all blood magic been made illegal?

"Tell him I'm coming," she murmured. Dumbledore stood, and nodded.

"I'm sorry. Don't worry...Headmaster Dippet will make sure you are not terribly harmed." That didn't do much to comfort her. Ashley sighed, and threw off the covers. Madame Pomfrey bustled over.

"I'm sorry, my dear...don't worry. Headmaster Dippet will look after you. I'll be right outside of his office too." Ashley just gave her a sad look, before getting out of bed.

She moved over to Damien's bed, unsure about whether she should wake him. With another sigh, she leaned down, and gently kissed his forehead. "I'm sorry," she whispered, trying not to wake him. "I love you."

Hoping she hadn't awoken him, Ashley began to walk out of the infirmary. With a concerned glance at the girl, Madame Pomfrey decided to wake up Damien herself. "Mr. Kelmore? Mr. Kelmore, you have to wake up...Ms. Selwyn is going to need you..."

The sounds of Madame Pomfrey's voice shook him from his sleep. There was a moment of blurriness and the sounds of pleading seemed more like murmuring. Once the effects of the grogginess wore off he reached out to Madame Pomfrey, "Who needs me to do what now?"

"Ms. Selwyn, she's heading upstairs to the Headmaster's office. Apparently, her father is here."

Damien shot up from the bed and tore the sheets off, heading straight for the door. He hadn't bothered to remember to kick on his shoes or even put something more than the pajamas he'd been wearing. He shoved past several students who were heading to their houses or classes. He changed staircases onto the floor that took him towards the Headmaster's room only to be greeted by Ethan Minsk.

"I know what you're thinking, boy. You're not allowed up there. This is between her and her family."

Damien clenched his teeth and fists, continuing forward without a word. Minsk grabbed him by the shoulder, but Damien broke free and took a swing at him. Minsk quickly turned this attack into a counter, slamming Damien into the wall. With a slight trickle of blood down from his forehead, he tried to fight to get free again, "let me go!"

"Not a chance in hell, son."

"Move!" Damien squirmed and head-butted his teacher before sidestepping out of the way and tripped him. As Minsk was falling, Damien reached into Minsk's back holster and pulled the knife from it, then continued forward. Another quick turn and he was in front of the Eagle Statue and Professor Dumbledore, standing guard.

Ashley remained silent as Professor Dumbledore led her towards her fate. Her heart was in her throat, but she forced herself to remain eerily calm on the outside. A Selwyn showed no emotion...they accepted what they deserved. Dumbledore glanced at her several times, a mixture of admiration and sympathy and pity in his gaze. She didn't want his pity. She'd brought this on herself.

Finally, she had murmured the password to Headmaster Dippet's office, and there Dumbledore left her. With nervous steps, she went up, until she was standing before the door. She took a deep breath, before entering without knocking. Appearance was key; always make a grand entrance.

With her head held high, Ashley stepped into the room. For a brief, silly moment, it looked like it was just her and the Headmaster. Then they stood from their seats in the high-backed chairs facing away from her.

"Father, Brother, Headmaster," she said in an icy tone. "I apologize if I have kept you waiting." Headmaster Dippet nodded in acknowledgement, before stepping backwards, and sitting at his desk.

"I shall remain here this entire time," he said quietly. Her father spoke for the first time, and Ashley shivered at the venom in his voice.

"You will remember our bargain?" Ethan asked coolly. The Headmaster nodded unhappily.

"I will not interfere, so long as the Unforgivables are not used."

"Good."

Ashley stood proud and tall under the cold gaze her father turned on her. For a long moment, no one spoke. Aaron shifted suddenly, and the floor creaked. Ethan Selwyn glanced at his son, finally turning away from Ashley. "Tell me, my son. Of what crime do you accuse this woman?"

Aaron licked his lips nervously, glancing at Ashley. "I accuse her of betraying her Pureblood status, and of going against the wishes of her father, intentionally fraternizing with a Muggleborn, with full awareness of the gravity of her actions. I accuse her of withholding the information of Damien Kelmore's blood status, and of bringing him into your household, with full knowledge of your rules against such things."

"If you'd wanted to know his blood status, you could have asked," Ashley muttered.

"Silence, harlot!" Ethan turned to her, anger in his every movement.

"Do you deny these accusations?"

"I do not."

"And do you wish to repent of your actions, and plead forgiveness?"

This was it. The moment of truth. Without hesitation, she said softly, "I regret nothing. I love him."

Her father drew himself up to his full height, making her want to flinch. He drew his wand. "Ashley Selwyn," he thundered. "As the head of the Selwyn family, I hereby name you banished from the family tree. You are disowned, removed from any benefits you would have received as a Selwyn, removed from any inheritances you may have received as a Selwyn, and you are no longer deemed worthy of carrying the Selwyn name. Henceforth, your surname shall be your mother's maiden name, Vale. I name you Ashley Vale, exiled from the Selwyn family. You are no longer my daughter, and I will associate with you no longer. By sunset, let us never meet again."

Ashley raised her chin higher. "I'm proud to bear my name, if it means I remained faithful to the one I love," she said firmly. Ethan seethed.

"As part of your banishment from my family's name, you are also to be punished for your willful disobedience to blood loyalty. I have Summoned you here, under the Pureblood ancient blood magic, the Bloodline's Fidelity. It mandates that any heir or offspring that has been placed under this oath should remain pure, and faithful to their family, unless circumstances deem it necessary to besmirch the bloodline with Halfblood or Muggleborn filth, or if the Heir should allow the mingling of pure with tarnished."

"He isn't tarnished," she hissed. A loud slap startled her, and a second later, she felt her cheek stinging with the force of her father's blow. Aaron flinched slightly, but there was steely resolve in his eyes. "Aaron," Ashley pleaded. He turned away.

"You betrayed me," was all he would say. Ashley's eyes hardened.

"I hate you," she snarled.

He flinched again, but said coldly, "I don't know you." She stared at him, hurt in a way that not even the Cruciatus Curse could begin to mimic.

Ethan watched the exchange with twisted amusement. "As the Bloodline's Fidelity mandates, anyone who breaks the oath must undergo punishment, or die. Which do you choose?"

"Punish me as you see fit."

"Ashley Vale, may this punishment show you the error of your ways. "With a wicked smile, the tortures began.

Dumbledore stuck his hand out, his wand pointed at Damien. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. "But you must not interfere. For her sake."

A loud scream ripped through the air, thankfully silent to those outside of the barrier. Only Dumbledore and Damien would be able to hear it here. Dumbledore tensed. "She went bravely, if it helps," he sighed. "I've never seen anyone go to accept the punishment so boldly, and with such resolve. She loves you dearly, you know. Otherwise she would not be in there right now...she'd choose the other options."

He grimaced. "But something tells me her father would only let her have the second option. He wouldn't allow her back into the family."

Dumbledore looked at Damien seriously. "Don't interrupt, boy. If you do, you're only killing her. That what the Bloodline's Fidelity Oath mandates. Face the punishment or die."

Damien's blood chilled greatly as he heard Ashley's scream from beyond the door. He held the knife he had stolen from his teacher up towards Dumbledore, who did not flinch at all. Damien had made up his mind, and like his father, he was too stubborn to change it once it was on that decision. All he had to do now as remember the password to get into the office and elude Dumbledore long enough to get upstairs.

"So what now, professor? You're going to use all the power within your means to keep me from getting in there, huh? Are you really going to keep me from protecting her? If she dies in there, then so will everyone else... by my hands or otherwise. If she dies... I die with her."

Down the hall where Minsk had been downed, a friendly face to the man offered an arm in aid, "Looks like you trained him well haven't you?"

Minsk looked up and shook off the slight daze and took the man's arm in surprise, "Kelmore? What in hell are you doing here? Thought the High General called you back?"

'I had to stay. I had to stay for my son. You did well in training the boy. He was able to take you on, head to head. As I recall, he could never have done that.'

"I let him, sort of, have that one," he said as he pulled himself up and dusted off. He reached back to his knife holster and untied it from his belt. Ian glanced at it and laughed.

"You let the boy arm himself for a fight. Clever. Come on, I don't want to miss this."

They headed in the general direction of the Headmaster's office, peaking from behind a corner to see the standoff between Dumbledore and Damien, who looked like he would kill someone if he didn't get in there. Ian poked his head out and looked into Dumbledore's eyes, waiting for him to notice him and just let the boy do his thing.

Ashley panted, her entire body quivering, as Ethan paused for a moment. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry and beg for mercy. She didn't notice the Headmaster look up, nor did she hear the familiar voice. The rushing in her ears was too great.

"Ethan. You may want to finish up...if that boy gets in here, I won't be able to stop him," Dippet warned. Ethan looked up, a smirk on his face.

"Let him in."

"What?"

"Let him in, so he can see what he's done. And so he can hear her scream..."

Dippet winced at the cruel tones, but sighed and opened the door. Dumbledore was busy trying to calm Damien down, when he spotted Ian. He took a deep breath and shook his head sadly. "Damien, by interrupting the ritual, you risk killing her," he said gently, about to continue. The Headmaster's voice interrupted him.

"Ethan wants him to come in," the man said quietly. Dumbledore turned to look at him, and they shared a long look.

"Very well...but you won't like what you see," Dumbledore warned Damien, as he too moved into the Headmaster's office.

He grimaced, not wanting Damien to see Ashley like this. Her skin was pale, where it wasn't bruised or cut or bloodstained. Her eyes kept rolling back in her head as she fought to stay conscious and strong. Her legs wouldn't hold her; the arm that Ethan had around her waist was the only thing holding her up. He held a long dagger against her throat.

"Come on in," he sneered. "The show's just getting started..." He glanced at Aaron, who had his wand trained on Ashley, though he looked upset. "You must be the filthy Mudblood scum that corrupted this young woman. You caused her to lose everything she had...how does that make you feel? You should be proud that you corrupted her enough to where she stands loyal to you, even though you're just gonna dump her a few years from now."

Damien stepped inside, expecting something far less brutal. Ashley, covered in bruises and blood, stood practically lifeless in her father's arms, who now held a dagger to her throat. Something inside him screamed for a bloody rebuke, but then it clicked away. His calm washed away all hints of anger from his body and he released the knife in his hand. He looked down to watch the hefty blade fall end over end in slow motion, closing his eyes and exhaling a breath of serenity and calm. Behind him, at the door stood his father, who managed to keep himself hidden thus far. Ian watched with some giddiness in him, wondering what his son would do. Damien looked up and took a step towards Ethan, hands together to crack each knuckle, "Ash... Your fight is with me Mr. Selwyn. Let Ashley go and I'll accept any and all punishment you wished to finish upon her. If she dies, I'll die with her... But then so will you. Let her go and take me on instead. In turn, if I'm still alive, I'll drop out of Hogwarts so your son may stay in the school."

Ethan chuckled at Damien's words. "Fool," he sneered. "I have already called upon the Bloodline's Fidelity. You cannot take her punishment. She dies if you do." He smiled darkly. "And a slow and painful death it would be." Aaron shifted in place, turning his wand on Damien.

"I don't mind being expelled," he said coldly. "Durmstrang has already accepted me. Father made sure of that. I don't need Hogwarts." A slight hint of pain showed in his eyes, but he squashed it. "I just want to see you suffer. This was all your fault."

Ashley groaned slightly as her father suddenly released her, causing her to crash to the floor heavily. Her head lolled to the side, as Ethan held up the dagger. "You try to interfere, and you just make it worse," he warned with a smirk.

He touched the tip of the dagger to Ashley's belly, and he began to slowly push on it, increasing the pressure until Ashley suddenly let out a hoarse shriek of pain. Finally, he stopped pushing, and left it as it was. Ethan stood, looking down at his daughter as she whimpered and made a feeble attempt to grasp the dagger.

Dumbledore's eye twitched slightly, as he said coldly, "You take far too much pleasure in this, Ethan. Disowned or not, she's still your daughter."

"That bitch is not my daughter," Ethan said coldly. "And as brutal as her punishment is, it is nothing compared to what it should be. According to the Oath, she should have died. You should be grateful that Aaron here stepped in and asked that she be given the option of punishment instead. That's why I gave her the option." He spat at Damien's feet. "Don't worry, she won't die. The charms I put over her won't allow that. But the poison on that dagger is going to be quite uncomfortable." He sneered down at her.

"You had better be glad your Mudblood came to save you," he hissed, kneeling by Ashley's ear. "Otherwise this would have gone on much longer." She didn't answer him, instead letting her hands fall weakly from their grip on the knife. She let out another cry of pain as he gave one final twist to the dagger, before standing. "Let's go," he said sternly to Aaron.

The two men moved to the fireplace, and Aaron quickly Flooed away. Ethan took a handful of Floo powder before pausing. "Goodbye, Ashley Vale. May our paths never cross."

Ashley coughed, then whispered, "Goodbye, Father. Maybe next time you'll know how to torture. I didn't feel a thing..."

Ethan knew she was just putting on a brave front, but it angered him to see that he hadn't broken her spirit. So he stepped out of the fireplace and jabbed a finger at her. "You will regret this," he seethed. "I curse you, Ashley Vale. May your life be shortened and your last days as painful as can be. May your stubborn, fighting spirit finally be tamed and crushed."

With that, he again stepped into the fireplace. Finally, he Flooed away, prompting both Dippet and Dumbledore to race forward to Ashley's side. "Get Madame Pomfrey," Dippet ordered, not watching as Dumbledore hurried off.

"Ms. Vale? You still conscious?" Ashley winced as she tried to speak, but Dippet stopped her. "Shh...it's okay. He's gone..."

"Damien," she managed to whisper. "Damien..."

Damien's anger welled up higher into him again, taking over his calm. He turned now to Dippet, who was now at Ashley's side, trying to get her to stay alive, but to Damien, it was just insult to injury. This man agreed to a deal to have Ashley hurt and this didn't sit well. He cracked his knuckles and threw his hand forward, forcing Dippet backwards into a shelf, causing some glass and jars to break. Damien felt a resistance when he did, but didn't mind it as he trotted towards Dippet, reaching back to wave the knife towards his intended victim, "YOU MONSTER! YOU LET THIS HAPPEN!"

"Damien, NO!"

The knife flew fast and true, but stopped short of its victim, where it spun midair. He turned to see Minsk with a hand back, with a palm down and the other hand forward, palm facing himself. He was sweating from the looks of it and a slightly panic look furled on his brow. He turned to Ian, who had shouted and raised his left hand to forehead to wipe it off, "hells bells, Ian... I knew I trained your son well, but not this well!"

"What do you expect from a Kelmore? Damien, you must calm down," he said switching targets quickly. He walked briskly to Ashley and knelt down next to her, putting a hand to her abdomen, "You must calm yourself, son."

Damien spun around and watched his father, jaw muscles tightened in anger, "You can't seriously be siding with this man? He..."

"He saved your girlfriend's life. That's what he did. By agreeing to certain terms and bearing witness to the events saved her in the long run. You stepping in made it both worse and better. Necromantula poison... bloody bastard knows his stuff alright." He covered the knife wound with both hands and muttered into the wind, pulling the now creeping black ooze from her veins and out of the wound.

"The magic he casted here is strong, so she wont die, but she will need some attention. Listen to me, Damien. Forget about the Selwyn's for now, she needs you." He turned to his son, who just stood still for a moment, wavering from adrenaline and fatigue. Finally Damien knelt next to Ashley and brushed some blood soaked hair from her face, "When did you ever start caring, Ian?"

"First off, I'm your father. I have always cared... even if its not always in the best ways. Secondly, the way I see you two look at each other reminded me of what I loved about your mother. I stayed because I heard the head of the Selwyn house was coming to deal with her, so I figured I'd be here to support you.

Ashley let out a strangled cry as Ian began to draw the venom from her bloodstream. "It...burns," she gasped, a tear trickling down her cheek. "Stop...please..."

Dumbledore burst into the room at that moment, giving a short glance to Dippet, who appeared shaken up. Pomfrey was right behind him, levitating a box full of supplies. "Everyone move," she ordered, setting the box down beside Ashley. "There, there, dear, you're going to be fine. I have something for the pain..."

"Damien..."

"He's right here, dear. Just relax..."

"My father..."

"He's gone. Don't worry..." Madame Pomfrey pulled out a vial, and uncorked it, before gently raising Ashley's head so she could drink it. "You were brave, my dear. Just relax...don't go to sleep on me though. I need you awake."

Ashley stiffened in a brief spasm of pain, before the potion kicked in. Pomfrey began to cast spells and administer potions, healing most of the injuries. After several long minutes, she let out a sigh.

"He knew what he was doing, I'll give him that. Not many can inflict minor wounds with such pain. His torture methods are...finessed. The knife wound is the only wound that worries me." She placed a hand on the dagger hilt. "Merlin, this better not do much more damage," she muttered, before swiftly pulling it out. "Blood replenishing potion...need a blood replenishing potion..."

Dippet had moved forward now, keeping a wary eye on Damien, as he held out another vial to Pomfrey. "I had a few supplies here, just in case," he said quietly.

Pomfrey nodded smartly. "I'll need some Dittany. Do you have some?"

Without a word, Dippet handed her a second vial. "Good, this will keep scar tissues from forming...as long as he didn't curse this," she murmured. She quickly examined it, then muttered, "Merlin...he did..."

Pomfrey muttered something to herself as she began to heal the wound, before making Ashley drink both potions. Soon, the only sign that she had ever been tortured was the lingering pain held at bay by the potion, and the small scar on her now-exposed midriff. "She'll be up and about in no time, if I know Ms. Selwyn," she said at last.

"Ms. Vale."

Pomfrey looked up at Dumbledore, her eyes darkening with anger and sorrow. "Ms. Vale, then. She's a fighter." She looked over at Damien.

"She'll be fine. But I'm counting on you, young man, to look after her, and make sure she doesn't push herself too far. She's been injured too many times in such a short time span for this to be healthy."

"Damien, are you listening to them? Can you handle this?"

"Better than you know, dad."

Ian nodded and reached into a hip pouch for a vial to pour the venom into it. Once he was finished, he passed the finish vial to Dippet and put a hand on the man's shoulder, whispering something into his ear. Damien stayed knelt near Ashley, holding her hand, "I'm here. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

Minsk grabbed the knife from midair and resheathed it, "you'll need to move lad, or we wont be able to move her back to the Hospital Wing.

Ashley weakly gripped Damien's hand, his touch comforting her. She smiled softly, before going limp as she passed out. Madame Pomfrey seized the opportunity.

"Let's move her now, while she's unconscious." Headmaster Dippet watched with a saddened and somewhat guilty expression on his face.

"Mr. Kelmore," he said quietly, looking at Damien. "You are no doubt beyond angry with me. But listen to your father - it did save Ashley's life. If I hadn't mentioned it to Ethan, he wouldn't have cast the charms that are keeping her alive. And he probably would have killed her anyways. Hate me all you want, but I do hope you will listen to Ms. Vale's side of the story when she wakes up. It might change your perspective."

With that, he stepped back, and Pomfrey pushed past, Ashley's levitated body floating in front of her, as they travelled quickly to the Hospital Wing.

Damien had skipped going to class, going to his dorm, which he was unwelcomed to anyways and to the Great Hall to eat. Granted, it was only yesterday that Ashley had been remitted back into the Hospital Wing, but he fought against the hunger and the sleep deprivation as best he could. He wasn't leaving Ashley by herself, not now or ever. He was responsible for what happened here and Ethan Selwyn's words stuck into him like the knife he stuck into her.

Madame Pomfrey was gracious enough to let him stay with her, but was getting worried about Damien due to his lack of both food and sleep. She begged him to just go get some rest, but he only yelled and chased her away. Eventually it was almost too much for him so he laid his head on the bed next to her, dozing off with no more fuss.

About an hour into his sleep, Minsk pushed his way through the massive double doors, carrying a plate of food. He smiled and set the plate down on a mobile tray, moving to wake Damien up. With a light prod, he awoke a raging beast that grabbed him by the collar, holding what looked like a short shiv.

"AARON!"

"Damien! Whoa, calm yourself lad. Just me."

"Minsk? What the hell? Where's the Selwyns?"

"Dreaming of revenge?"

"If you only knew," Damien said rubbing sleep from his eyes. He caught the smell of food and looked to the plate; his stomach growled at him loudly in protest. "What are you doing here?"

"Brought you some food, amongst other things. Company, advice and news."

Damien reached for the plate, but pulled his hand away, " I'll save that for Ashley."

"Your choice I guess. Anyways, I bring news from your father. Your Alchemy Evaluations are coming up. The High General herself will be one of your examiners."

Damien shrugged it off, not really concerned by the exam

The nightmares and memories consumed her sleep. Ashley suddenly woke, just as Aaron had been about to fire the Killing Spell. What caused her to scream out was the body that had jumped in front of the spell, taking it instead of her. "DAMIEN! NO!"

Her chest heaved, and she fell weakly back against the pillows, breathing harshly. Belatedly, she realized Minsk was standing there, and one very sleep-deprived Damien was by her side. She flushed.

"Hey," she said quietly, her voice hoarse. She winced; any little movement hurt. And that whipping up suddenly did not help the soreness.

Damien only need to turn a little to be able to face Ashley, holding her hand in his. He nuzzled her hand, kissing each knuckle softly, "thank the gods, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

Ashley smiled softly. "I'm feeling better," she murmured. "You watch; I'll be up tomorrow." She wrinkled her nose. "Not looking forward to the homework load though. Thank goodness our seventh year is moving along quickly." She sobered "I can't wait to get out of here.

Hogwarts is my home, but this year has sort of cast a shadow on my memories. I don't want to have to remember every detail of this year..."

She sighed, before gently squeezing Damien's hand. "They're gone, right?" she asked quietly.

Damien nodded and nuzzled her hand, "yeah, they're gone. For good. I was also transferred into Ravenclaw..." he turned to Minsk to chime in whenever he wanted. "oh, right. Dippet's orders. Damien, you really need to worry about the evaluations coming up. They've been pushed forward. They're in a week!"

Ashley let out a sigh of relief. "Good." She brightened. "Even better!" Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she teased, "Sure you are smart enough to be a Ravenclaw?"

Her smile fade somewhat, however, as Minsk spoke. "What evaluations?" she asked sharply, wincing slightly as she sat up.

Damien put his hand on Ashley's shoulder, wanting to keep her laying down, but knowing her, she would do it anyways. He looked to the scar on her abdomen and felt another stab of guilt hit him. He had completely ignored her question, being absorbed into his pain slowly. Minsk once again chimed in, "a mandatory alchemy evaluation. Anyone wishing to practice alchemy is registered by the Alchemist Vanguard and if good enough, will be offered a job as an alchemist of the state for the Ministry or if better, rank in the Vanguard. The High General is usually not present, but she wants to see your progression boy. Now I understand you want to take care of Ms. Sel... Vale, but you must rest up for..."

"Minsk, do you not think I've already heard you and my father harp on this enough. For the last time, I will do what I must and, of that, you will not stop me."

Ashley couldn't really struggle against Damien's arms holding her down, but as soon as he released her, she again pushed herself up. Her brow furrowed. "Damien can pass that, easy, right?" she asked, glancing at him. "I've seen him use alchemy...and he's really good. So why are you so concerned?" She looked up at Minsk.

"However, I don't like the fact that you haven't been eating or sleeping," Ashley frowned, placing her hand over his. "It won't help me get better faster, and it's not healthy for you. It makes me worry about you."

Damien smiled, know he was in the wrong for that one, but he just wanted her to wake up. Was that too much to ask? He took his hand from her shoulder and reached for the plate of food, "your right... I know. I just needed to see you wake up. For myself. I wanted to be the first person you saw, when you did." Minsk handed over the plate, watching the couples interaction to each other. Damien started to pick at a piece of chicken weakly, offering her some to eat first before he had anything. After a few moments of silence, Minsk broke through again, "Damien is capable of passing two of the three portions of the test, Ms. Vale. Its the last test that worries me. In any event, we get back into the swing of things tomorrow, Kelmore. If I have to drag you from your bed, then that's what I'm doing." Damien merely nodded, prodding Ashley to eat something too so he wouldn't feel bad about not eating. Minsk just walked out, with a satisfied smirk on his face. The niggling little feeling that had been bothering Damien this entire time finally came out; He tried to hold himself together as he spoke, "I'm sorry Ash. All this... All of it. All of this is my fault. I got you hurt and for this I need to say I'm sorry... Because I don't know what else to say."

Ashley smiled softly as Damien finally began nibbling at his food. She looked up at Minsk. "Well I'm sure he'll pass the third portion too," she said quietly. She looked back to Damien, wrinkling her nose.

"I can't stand the thought of eating right now," she admitted. "I don't know if it's because of something Pomfrey gave me, or if I'm just not well enough to eat yet. You better keep eating though." Her hand moved to lightly touch his hair, her face sad but serious.

"None of this was your fault," Ashley said firmly. "I made the decision to remain your friend, even after I found out your blood status. I told you, I don't care whether you're Pureblood or not. It was my fault, because I willfully went against my father's wishes. I don't regret it, either." She gingerly sat up, and kissed his cheek. "Don't blame yourself for this...if anything, my father and brother are at fault, Aaron less so. Yes, he betrayed me," her eyes burned with anger and hurt, "but he didn't do what my father did. If anything, blame me and my father.

"I refuse to blame you for any of this. Just your family." He tried to pick up the chicken to each it but instead picked up the plate and set it on the table. He stood as best he could and climbed into the bed with Ashley, slowly putting his arm around her, "sleep has finally won this round. Hope you don't mind?"

Ashley laughed softly. "I don't mind at all. Sleep...you need it." She craned her neck to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. "See you when you wake up."


	11. Chapter 11: The Oath

Damien had been awake early this morning. Since the rules had changed for him as a "Special Exception", he was to take the this exam at the school. Since they had one other special exception, the officiates had brought someone else with them. A young man with ashen red hair, whose hands looked like they'd seen enough of someone else's face to be as hard as rocks by now. Damien stood at attention next to the boy in a dress uniform provided by Minsk; black suit with a slight flare at the hem on the bottom, and a wrap around collared black blazer that Damien purposefully had left open. On his hip sat a small leather hip pouch, holding the Book of Elements and some other odds and ends needed for the test.

He hadn't tried to wake Ashley up this early, since the first 2 hours of the test were strictly paper and quill. He just asked that Minsk go get her at the start of the next test, which was just after breakfast. The officiate, a scrawny, balding man, squeaked out the rules and regulations and the demands of the test that was to be given. Once that was over with, then they began the grueling task of finishing the test

The test was being taken in the Divinations tower, where no other student could get access into to sneak in. It was almost time for the test to end, so Minsk excused himself from the Testing Room to go grab Ashley. He wasn't sure she'd want to watch the next portion of the test, but it was what Damien wanted, so he agreed to it. There was a quick 30 minute potioneering demonstration, then came combat application.

Damien finished his written test about 10 minutes before the start of the next test, as did the boy next to him. The officiate took their tests from them and handed them a box, each containing the ingredients they needed for the demonstration and the name of the potion they needed to make. Damien moved away from the other boy, looking around for something to use as a cauldron, as one was not provided. He watched his opponent sift through everything before stomping on the ground, forming a basin out of the stone. Damien picked up a candle from the corner and took out some chalk from his satchel, drawing a seal on the floor, placing the candle in the center. With a quick snap of the fingers, the candle melted into a small pit. Damien cracked his knuckles and dropped to a knee, striking the ground with his fist. The basin he formed wasn't as crude looking as the one that the other boy had, which in this part of the test was a big deal, but he wasn't sure how practical it was to be able to get the heating down. Instead of worrying about it, he went to work immediately.

Minsk walked into the Great Hall, dressed in the Vanguard uniform, getting looks from all the students, who had never seen him in it. He walked to the Ravenclaw table, looking for Ashley.

"So, I told her that-" Meghan paused, midsentence, her eyes going wide. "What in Merlin's name is Professor Minsk wearing?"

Ashley turned, and found the Professor in question. She stood. "I have to go," she said quickly. "Damien's doing some sort of testing today. Not sure what it's for, but it's important. See you later, 'kay?"

Meghan pouted, but nodded her head nonetheless.

Ashley hurried to Minsk's side, and followed him along the corridors, until they reached the Divinations Tower. She slipped inside with the man, looking around until she'd spotted Damien hunched over a cauldron. She smiled briefly, remaining silent so she wouldn't distract him.

It had taken Damien a good minute to realize that Ashley had returned with Minsk. He shot her the briefest smile before returning to his bubbling brew. He checked the ingredients list once more and ran through the preparation through his head to make sure it was in working order then stepped back with his hands up to show he was done.

The officiate walked over and checked the potion, taking a vial for later sampling. He waved Damien away so that the boy could wait on his opponent. The red haired boy grunted in frustration as he stirred the potion again, but not getting the effect he wanted. He finally gave in and backed away from his potion, heading back towards his teacher with an angered look in his eye. Damien turned back to Ashley and gave her a hug and a kiss, "almost done... Just one more portion left."

"you think you're ready, lad?"

"going to have to be. Is it being held in here?"

"what? Hell no... They want to give you guys enough room to go at it without hurting everyone else. It'll be held outside."

"weapon limitations?"

"only what you can carry. You can borrow my machete if you need something."

Damien nodded, having forgotten that Ashley was in his arms, "crap, you going to be ok watching me fight? The next test is a combat demonstration."

Ashley squeezed Damien softly. "Of course I'll be okay. I've seen some intense wizarding duels before, and I've watched Unforgiveables and Dark magic used. Alchemy is just another battle form." She smiled, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Good luck. I'll stand at a distance, if that will help you concentrate more. You'll do great."

Damien's attention was called back to the officiate, snapping his fingers, "there will be a short recess to allow the testers to get organized. Meet in the front courtyard in half an hour. Young miss, alongside Mr. Kelmore. If you are to be a witness of these preceding's, you can sit with the instructors."

Damien had taken off his jacket and started stretching, feeling the cold tingle of the snow onto his skin. He draped his jacket around Ashley's shoulder's to keep her warm, giving her a quick kiss, "Wish me luck, you might want to kiss these lips before they're too fat to kiss for a while."

Ashley gave him a grateful smile as he draped his jacket around her. She put her arms around Damien, to hold him close. "Good luck," she whispered, giving him a return kiss. "I'll be rooting for you. I'm sure you'll do amazing. I've seen you use alchemy before; it's impressive. So go defeat your opponent, okay? I don't want to have to save your pride and beat him up myself." She giggled and gave him one last kiss.

Minsk came up from behind Damien and attached a machete sheath to the back strap of the satchel on his hip, "focus boy. You're fighting him." he looked over to the red haired boy being handed a massive war hammer. Damien inhaled sharply, taking a moment to collect himself.

The officiate stepped between the two boys and read off a list of rules, looking around for the High General, as this was the match she wanted to judge. It wasn't long after he was finished that Damien's father and the High General herself stepped up. The officiate stepped back, "k then. State your names and proficiencies, starting with you.

The red headed boy stepped forward and stood the hammer down head first, "Ryan Nathaniel McTavish. Earth and steel."

Damien took a short bow from where he was standing, "Damien Eric Kelmore, elements."

"which ones, Mr. Kelmore?"

"all of them."

the officiate looked slightly surprised, "well then. Let the match begin." Damien turned to find McTavish already taking a swing at him. He weaved out of the way only to have to jump out of the way of the war hammer to keep his face from being torn off. As the hammer connected with the ground, the earth splintered and shattered in every direction.

Ashley watched from where she had been told to stay, as the fight began. She gasped softly as Damien dodged the first blow. She clenched her fists tightly, silently cheering him on. The way the earth trembled and split was nothing to her, after what she had seen him perform. She knew he could handle it, as long as he proved proficient in hand-to-hand combat.

"Come on, Damien," she whispered.

Damien watched the floor crackle for the last little moment before reaching back to grab the machete. McTavish lead in again with another wild swing, forcing Damien to move off to the side. Damien drew the machete and aimed at the base where the hammer and the staff met and chopped a chunk of wood out of the staff. He followed this with a rush of wind, breaking off the hammer head; the other boy was angered and crossed his arms over his chest, sending his opponent flying backwards as a wall of spear-like rocks shot from the ground. Damien landed on one foot, not bothering to gain footing as he twisted to fire off a wave of superheated air towards its victim. McTavish pulled back, using the spikes as a wall that absorbed the impact, but sent it crumbling down.

Damien ran back towards McTavish, taking backhanded swings with the machete. Every swing lead to another block and a punch or a kick. At this rate, the two would have to fight each other for a while. McTavish finally moved out of the swinging blades path and head-butted Damien's hand to disarm him.

Minsk leaned into Ashley, "This'll take forever. The rules are that one of them must knockout the other or get them to submit."

Ashley held in a cheer as Damien disarmed the other boy, but she grimaced as he too was soon disarmed. She looked up at Minsk. "How long do you think it'll take for that to happen?" she asked in a low voice. She hoped it would be soon; the longer it went on, the more likely Damien would get hurt in some way.

"A little while lass, a little while..."

(an hour later)

Damien and McTavish had been attacking each other for too long now. Both boys were bloodied and barely standing, yet some driving force had kept the two from giving in. The two had backed away for a moment to catch a rest the wobbled towards each other. Both led in with a solid right hook, each connecting each other at the same time. They backed up and tried again with a left hook, only producing the same ending result. Both of them grabbed the others lapel and reached back with their heads, storming in to head-butt each other. A loud crack made everyone wince as the two boys stood motionless against one another before they fell over with a soft thud.

The officiate took a few unsteady step through the maze of broken earth and bloodstained snow, checking each boy, "they're both out. I declare this match a..." Before he could finish, the boys both shuffled in place, both equally battered and angry. As Damien shifted through the snow to lift himself up to continue fighting, so did McTavish.

Ashley had lost track of when exactly her hands had gone numb from being too tightly clenched. Her jaw ached as well from gritting her teeth. It killed her to watch Damien become bloodied, and with her unable to help. Nor could she say anything, for fear of distracting him. She winced as a loud crack split the air, and both boys collapsed. She sucked in a sharp breath, however, as both struggled to their feet. Her eyes shone with admiration; he was stronger than he looked, to be able to take such a beating. "C'mon," she whispered, "Knock him out."

Ian Kelmore was whispering with the High General, finally getting the go ahead to stop the boys. "enough! The High General feels that this is a waste of talent if this test ends with one or both of you dying. You both pass."

Damien let out an exhausted breath and fell to his knees. McTavish tried to keep himself upright, but like Damien, he gave into his pain and fell to the floor. Damien's father treaded lightly on the broken earth, repairing it as his foot fell on it, "congratulations boys. Catch your breaths, we'll begin the oath ceremony in an hour or two when you've recovered a bit from your fight. If we have to, we'll carry you up to the hospital wing. Dismissed." McTavish's teacher and one other gentleman lifted the boy from his perch, dragging him away. Ian reached down and offered Damien a hand. Damien, in turn, took the gauntleted hand and pulled himself to his unstable feet. "Happy Birthday, Damien."

"thanks... Great way to spend my birthday isn't it?" Ian waved down Ashley to join them. Ashley watched as the fight was finally ended. She ran forward, carefully picking her way across the damaged area, until she'd reached Damien's side. Gently, she put an arm around him, lending her support if needed. She planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "You did brilliantly," she exclaimed, a small smile on her otherwise concerned face. "But we'd better get you to the Hospital Wing...I only know the basic healing spells, and I'm no Healer. I daresay Pomfrey will want to look at you anyhow."

Minsk shook his head and put his other arm around Damien, "I'm not sure he's going to make the trip. Madame Pomfrey is on her way already, as is the Headmaster. We have to get him out of the main section of courtyard so we can repair it. As it is, we are having a hard time keeping students from watching." He led Ashley and Damien off to the side and gently set the boy in the snow. "did a good job, ya did."

"whooo... Now I think I feel everything hurting. Once again, this was EXACTLY the way I wanted to spend my birthday. Debilitated, in pain in a pool of my own blood and sweat."

Ian smirked, "quit your griping. At least you earned your way in. The officiate has given me your test scores along with your alchemy rating. You are officially a class 4 alchemist with the Vanguard. You should be proud. I have something for you, but it'll have to wait"

Ashley smoothed a bit of blood-soaked hair back from Damien's forehead, a small smile on her lips. "Maybe it's not the best way to spend a birthday," she laughed. "But it sure is a good way to impress the ladies. I'm proud of you." She gently kissed his forehead. "Happy birthday, Damien."

"The only lady I wish to impress is sitting here, trying to clean me up because I just got the shit kicked out of me… Oh look. It's the Doctor… Hello Doctor…"

She looked up as Pomfrey finally made an appearance, bustling over with her usual levitated supply kit. "Alright, how much damage this time? I swear, between the two of you, I feel like I'm always bandaging someone up," the Mediwitch complained good-naturedly. Ashley grinned.

"Trouble just seems to follow us, hm?"

"Right you are, Ms. Vale."

Damien chuckled through his pain, trying to lift up his hand to put onto Ashley's, "I guess we're just a pair of troublemakers... not much we can do about that. If you think this is bad, you should see the other guy." He felt some liquid well up in his lungs, forcing him onto his side to cough it up and spit it out, "Its not so bad really. I've had worse."

Minsk shook his head, "No you haven't... this is the worst its been. You're still just numb from the snow and the pain."

Ashley forced herself to continue remaining calm. But when Minsk muttered something about it being worse than any other time, her face registered worry.

Madame Pomfrey laid a comforting on her shoulder. "Don't worry, dear. I'll get him all patched up and right as rain." She moved over to Damien, and looked him over with pursed lips. "I'd really appreciate it if you would avoid injuries like this in the future, Mr. Kelmore, Ms. Vale," she sighed, beginning to wave her wand over Damien, scanning for injuries. "Internal bleeding, major injuries all over, broken ribs, a fractured skull...this is ridiculous."

Damien once again chuckled, "fractured skull, huh... probably why I have such a bloomin' headache." He laughed to himself, knowing everyone else would probably give him an evil glare for making fun of his situation. He reached up to tug on Ashley's hand, looking up and smiling, "think you could get me some water... or fire whiskey."

"You don't need fire whiskey. You need something stronger."

Ashley resisted the urge to swat him for joking about the situation She settled for a soft glare instead. Her glare softened further. "I-"

"No, Mr. Kelmore, firewhiskey is not the thing to be drinking at the moment. After I have finished with you, then I suppose we will allow an exception to the no alcohol rule, and find you something. But first," here, Pomfrey produced a few potions, "drink this. This will numb your pain. After that, this bone growth potion will repair the fracture and broken bones. Then this blood replenishing potion. I've already stopped the internal bleeding."

Ashley smirked. "I can get you that water though." She glanced around, then picked up a rock, hidden in the snow. A quick incantation, and she'd Transfigured it into a glass, which she promptly filled with water. "Augmenti." She held out the glass of water. "I'll get you the firewhiskey as soon as Pomfrey allows me to."

He watched Ashley perform brilliant transfiguration, wanting to smile, but the bone growth juice was forced down his throat. He felt the bitter liquid slide down his throat, where it immediately started working. "a chaser woulda been nice..." he grabbed the glass from Ashley and opened his mouth, dumping the glass on his face in the hopes of getting some in. What little did get in, he managed to drink, the rest washed away the blood that had dried into his hair and skin.

Ashley grimaced. She knew how foul those potions tasted, and she did not envy him. She took the glass back and refilled it with water, before holding it out again. She looked up as Headmaster Dippet appeared behind the crouched adults.

Ashley watched as Dippet first went over to the McTavish boy, speaking to his mentor and the second Mediwitch that had been called in to check him over. There was a short conversation, then McTavish said something with a weak smile, before Dippet headed towards Damien.

"How is he doing?" he asked Ashley, not quite meeting her gaze. He had been oddly quiet around her, avoiding her and making eye contact, ever since the Bloodline's Fidelity ceremony. She had tried to convince him that she didn't blame him, and that he had actually done her a favor by chaperoning the ceremony, but the guilt was obvious in his eyes still. She sighed.

"He'll live," she murmured. "Madame Pomfrey is doing marvelous job patching him up."

"How do you feel, Mr. Kelmore?" Dippet turned to look at Damien. "By the way, I believe congratulations are in order. From what I hear, it was a good fight."

Damien was hurting too much to glare at him, but he had still carried a deep seated dislike for the man. Ashley and Minsk both had explained it to him, but no matter what could have been said, Damien hated him. Yet this time he tried to play nice, "thanks. I'm just overcome with joy to see the school's finest Headmaster supporting the ultraviolent. Makes me all warm and fuzzy all over." he felt a sharp kick into his ribs as Minsk nudged him to behave.

"Just because you're hurt doesn't mean I wont hit you, Kelmore. It wasn't his fault."

"Right... Sorry Headmaster. Thank you... And sorry about the courtyard. I think the High General was going to repair it."

Ashley swatted Damien lightly. "I won't refrain from smacking you too," she snapped. "You could be a bit more cordial. I already told you, the man practically saved my life. If I can forgive him, I should think you could too."

Dippet waved a hand sadly. "Let him be, Ms. Vale. His dislike of me is understandable."

Ashley glared at him. "No, it's not," she insisted. "I was the one who was tortured. I was the one who had her family turn their backs on her. And if I can forgive you for whatever part you played, especially since you were the only thing keeping my father from 'accidentally' going too far, then Damien should be able to as well." She huffed, as Madame Pomfrey shook her head, amused.

"You certainly haven't lost your spirit," she chuckled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Headmaster, I must continue working on Damien here."

"I understand." Dippet backed away slowly, meeting Ashley's eyes for the first time. For a moment, gratefulness shone in his eyes, before he left. Ashley watched him go.

it had been a few hours since the fight had ended, but not the pain. The bone grown juice ruined his palette as well as created more of a headache as the bone grew back to make it whole once again. Since he had finally given up on staying awake, he just passed right out, waiting for someone to wake him up in for the swearing in. Minsk shook the boy awake, looking over the now mostly recovered boy. "wake up you lazy arse... Quit sleeping on the job."

Ashley kissed Damien's cheek. "Wake up, sleepyhead," she murmured. "Time for you to become a full alchemist." She looked up at Minsk. "Not sure what that all entails, nor am I sure about what a level 4 alchemist is, but it sounds important. And you're gonna miss it if you don't wake up..." She grinned down at him.

"Out of technicality, the ceremony cant start without him."

Damien slowly opened his eyes and tried to sit up, letting out a big yawn, "wake me up when I was having a good dream. Lets go then..." he reached out to Minsk to help him out.

Minsk turned to Ashley as he lifted the boy to his feet, "the classification system of alchemy is kind of like a rank in how much power you have the potential to use. Goes from one to six."

Ashley grinned. "Maybe you can go back to that dream later. Right now, you have a ceremony." She glanced at him curiously. "A class four alchemist, huh? Is that good?"

Damien nodded, "the highest ranking alchemist alive, as of current, is the High General. Class five alchemist capable of leveling a city by herself, which I might add she did do. Two hundred years ago. Class four is pretty damned good, comparatively. Thing is, there hasn't been a class 6 alchemist since before the High General. Last one was her predecessor , 400 years ago."

Ashley's eyes widened. "Capable of leveling an entire city?" she whispered in shock. "Are there limits, to keep people in check? What happens if something goes wrong? Someone with that much power would be unstoppable if angry. It would take dozens of Aurors to stop them."

"more than a dozen. Why do you think that she's in charge. The man before her wanted too much and decided to stray from the Oath. What Damien here is about to take. That is why she isn't Queen. Its because she only reserves that title in a time of war. She takes on students to teach them the secrets to becoming powerful and to be able to keep herself in check. Her students are under orders to kill her immediately should she deviate from her limitations of power," said Minsk as he freed his watch from his pocket, "we have to move. Come on." Damien's teacher lead the way back inside, followed by the rest of the spectators from the fight and McTavish.

Ashley let out a sigh of relief. "I feel safer now," she laughed. "Well, that's impressive, that you get to be a class four alchemist."

She kissed his cheek again. "I'll see you after the ceremony, Mr. Kelmore." She smiled, as Minsk led him off, and she moved towards the spectators.

Minsk gave her a strange look, "where do you think you're going. You're staying next to him." Damien turned around and held out his hand for her to take. It was time to head to the Headmaster's office.

Ashley blanched. "Me, in front of people? No-" She was cut off as Minsk dragged her along, before she finally took Damien's hand.

it wasn't long before everyone made it into the office. Damien and McTavish were standing next to each other in a strict military attention. He could see Ashley standing next to Dippet and a woman dressed in white, who could only be the High General. Damien's father and the boy's teacher stood before them.

Now, she held her head high, as her Pureblood family had trained her. High and proud, demanding respect. But her heart was pounding. She hated being in front of people. Even if the attention was focused on the two boys, she still hated being towards the front.

She smiled proudly, however, fighting the urge to give Damien a thumbs up. It probably wouldn't be proper. Damien's father spoke up and the clamoring had died down, "well. Both of you displayed your skills, your knowledge and your ability to fight. Take a knee." Damien and McTavish both did as ordered, looking up to their instructors, "Minsk, Reynard, state the Oath of the Vanguard."

In unison, the two men moved closer to their students, "Let my blade be the cause of change for the just and right. Stay my blade from the flesh of innocence as they are the sole reason we exist. Let my actions reflect well of my brothers and sisters as they are there from birth till death. Let my loyalty be rewarded by service and betrayal be punished in blood. I hereby swear my loyalty to the Alchemist Vanguard. With them I shall serve and through them, I shall live. We are alchemist. We are eternal."

There was a moment of silence as the other alchemists bowed their heads and thought on the days they took this vow. Ian stepped between the two men and drew his sword, stabbing it into the ground between the boys, "with this Oath, you swear yourselves to the service of the Vanguard. If you accept this, then recite this vow."

Both boys looked up to their teachers, reciting the Oath with no hesitation, "Let my blade be the cause of change for the just and right. Stay my blade from the flesh of innocence as they are the sole reason we exist. Let my actions reflect well of my brothers and sisters as they are there from birth till death. Let my loyalty be rewarded by service and betrayal be punished in blood. I hereby swear my loyalty to the Alchemist Vanguard. With them I shall serve and through them, I shall live. We are alchemist. We are eternal."

When they were done, the teachers reached out their arms to help the boys and as each one grabbed the other's for arm, the teachers reached back and brought a heavy blow with their fist into their faces. Both boys fell over, tired and aching from combat as it was, but held a high head as Ian looked down upon them, "the blood spilt on the field outside and right here is the drippings of mere boys. The pain you feel is how you will remember this Oath you have taken today and by pain of death shall you hold to them. This sword represents the solidarity that you boys will gain from your brothers and sisters in the Vanguard. Take hold and rise to your feet; only then have you truly made your way into our fold."

Ashley watched as the Oath was recited, first by teacher, then by student. It sent a strange sort of chill through her. What was it like, she wondered, to belong to such a group? The Alchemist Vanguard was like a brotherhood, or so it appeared to her. She smiled slightly, happy for Damien. She tensed slightly, caught off guard as Minsk and the other man each punched their student, but she kept calm. It was part of the ceremony. Granted, it seemed a bit brutal, but it was a sight better than some ceremonies she knew of. In fact, it struck her as a noble symbolism, something she could respect.

Damien and McTavish both struggled to their knees to try and crawl. Damien made it to the sword first, using the hilt to lift himself onto a knee. He offered the other boy a hand, which was gratefully taken as he pulled himself onto it and both boys rose to their feet. Ian smirked and lifted a hand to the boys to shake it, " congratulations, lads. You are officially the elite soldiers of the Alchemist Vanguard.

Ashley smiled. "I knew he would do well," she murmured. She winced in sympathy; the poor boys were exhausted and in pain. The pain potions hadn't worked as well as they had hoped. It took enough pain away for them to function, but they were obviously still hurting. She'd have to make sure Damien slept after this...that would hopefully help him recover.

If she recalled correctly, there was a good incantation that helped ease the effects of the Cruciatus...maybe it would help relieve more of the pain. She could always try it later.


	12. Chapter 12: A Pleasant Day Out

**((Dear Fans and Readers… I hope you guys have enjoyed the story thus far. Time to kick it up a notch I think. Would definitely love some reviews and followers. That would be nice. Hahaha anyways. Enjoy))**

_The rest of the year went by rather smoothly since that day in February. With the change in Houses, there was definite calm between Damien and Ashley, though Damien had lost his position on the Quidditch Team, he was certainly happy enough to be sporting the Ravenclaw colors and cheer for Ashley as she played. The attack on the couple wasn't the only one however, but it was quelled easily enough and another student, a good friend of Aaron's, had also gotten expelled for his actions. Damien's alchemy saved the couple and even prevented more attacks from happening by scaring the Slytherins into an easy submission._

_The couple finished out the year from there on without a hitch and the couple had been the happiest they had ever been. After graduation, Damien was shipped off to Vanguard base camp for training and Ashley promised to wait and write letters to keep him going… This is how the rest of the story goes from here:_

The summer in Suffolk was supposed to be a hot one and it was. It was barely half past noon and the temperature was already in the upper nineties. Damien was gone again, on Vanguard business like he had been since they graduated Hogwarts. His parents, more his mother, had taken the couple in as a sign of good faith to the couple and as company as Damien's father, Ian, was constantly gone as well. It was nice to be able to get to know Ashley as well as she had over the past year, hoping that Damien would do the right thing soon and make her a more "permanent" member of the family.

She was busy outside pruning and trimming away at some flowers, which had become an intimate hobby of hers since Ian had become more involved with the military. She stood up and looked around to the neighbor's houses, where all was in a still silence. She called back to the house, hoping that Ashley or Amanda had been awake. Maybe she would go out with them to go find something to do in town. She strolled inside and took off her sunhat, setting it down on the counter in the large kitchen, "Ashley? Amanda?"

Ashley frowned as she pored over the book. Wandless magic was difficult. Not using a wand? How was she supposed to channel her magic? With a growl of frustration, she pulled out her wand again. At least she was now a legal witch, and was allowed to use magic. And with Damien being an Alchemist in the Vanguard, she was given special permission to use magic within his house, a rare case seeing as he was Muggleborn.

She pointed her finger at the training dummy she'd set up for today's practice. She clenched her eyes shut for a moment, then opened them. "Stupefy," she muttered, concentrating with all her might. Suddenly, light surrounded her hand and shot forward, striking the dummy and knocking it over. "Yes!" she crowed softly.

She glanced back at the book, staring at the title on the top of the page. Wandless and Nonverbal Magic Made Simple. A necessary skill if one wanted to become an Auror. Still, while nonverbal magic was hard, and wandless even more so, she was drawn to it more than Dark Magic and How to Fight It book that sat next to it. She shuddered. Some of the Dark spells in there were horrid, and the legends terrifying. Some were familiar to her, however, and those she already knew how to deal with. She'd go back to it later anyways.

But right now, a voice outside drew her attention. Ashley glanced at the open window, where Mrs. Kelmore's voice could be heard calling for her. Not feeling like running downstairs, Ashley simply Apparated, having gotten her license the week before. She was careful to Apparate just inside the house, so she wouldn't scare the poor woman. She wouldn't know how to explain to Damien why his mother had died of a heart attack.

"Yes?" she asked, smiling brightly as she walked outside into the sunshine. "Did you need something?"

"Why do I hear popping. Did you do that apparition thing again?" she shook her hands to dismiss it, "never mind. I was wondering if you wanted to go to town, maybe go do things like girls do?"

Ashley grinned sheepishly. "I know, lazy me. But Apparating is easier." She brightened. "I'd love that! I haven't been out in awhile." Not since graduation, actually. She was terrified of running into her brother or father while out. And she knew her father would kill her immediately. Damien would be crushed and would end up getting revenge, then get thrown in Azkaban for murder. Better to avoid all that. "When did you want to go?"

"Not sure yet, but we can always start at the salon. It's always nice to pamper yourself every now and again. Besides, you don't have to worry about paying for it. Both my husband's pay and Damien's can be converted from your money to ours and they have lots of it." She giggled a little like a school girl, having a girl's day with her son's girlfriend. She stepped past Ashley to get into the house, "Amanda! Come on down please?"

Amanda who was sitting in the living room as it was, set her book down and walked into the kitchen, "yes mum?"

"We're going out for a spa day, do you want to come with?"

Ashley smiled happily. "It sounds like fun," she said with a sigh of contentment. "I'm getting rather tired of sitting around studying as it is...getting out and pampering myself will be nice for a change. And it's always nice to go with someone, of course." She followed Mrs. Kelmore into the house, glancing down at her simple sundress. "Do you think I should change, or just go as I am?" she asked, examining the white fabric. It wasn't anything too shabby, but it was quite casual. Still, she liked the deep turquoise trimming, as it made her own eyes seem more blue than grey. It was one of her favorites.

"Just go as it is... Oh, bugger." Without warning, there was a loud pop as Damien and his partner Ryan McTavish both appeared into the center of the living room. Mrs. Kelmore tossed her hands up in mock frustration, "every time. Someone always has to come back just to ruin the day," she laughed as she leaned against the counter, watching Damien try and regain his own balance, "Damien dear. Sit down so you don't hurt yourself. The girls and I wanted to go out to pamper ourselves; but now you've gone and ruined it all."

Damien did as he was told, not even bothering to look at his mother, "don't worry about me; go on out and have some fun ladies. I've got an errand or two to run really quick before... Well? Um. Never mind. Anyways, just go on out, we'll be here, right mate?" McTavish nodded as he finally got the room to stop spinning, "right... Gah, I hate this apparating crap. I shoulda just stuck to shifting."

"That's not much better."

Ashley laughed. "Apparating isn't that bad; I find it easier than walking places." She walked over and gave Damien a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later...hi, Ryan." She waved at her boyfriend's partner, before looking over at Damien's mother. "Well, let's get going then. The day isn't getting any younger!" She smiled.

Later

Damien had almost everything prepared, much with McTavish's help. He fumbled around in his hands a small black velvet box, trying to get himself to calm down, "I'm ready for this mate... I can do it."

"Good. Just don't screw up ye? Dun need to see ye all broken up. I'll catch you late'. I'm going home to see Emiline." there was a soft hiss as McTavish disappeared

Ashley was laughing as the three women entered the house. "I haven't had quite as much fun in a long while," she said happily. " Thank you so much for taking me along!" She turned around, spotting Damien. "Hey you," she said, smiling. "Whatever did you do with yourself while I was gone?" She laughed. "I've had the best day with your mother. She and your sister are so much fun." With a happy twirl, she moved over to hug him.

"I've been busy. Planned a little something special for the both of us." He quickly pocketed the box and wrapped his arms around Ashley. He pointed to the kitchen table where a picnic basket with a blanket next to it.

Ashley's eyes softened. "This day just gets better and better," she sighed. "First a day at the spa, then a picnic with my favorite man? It's absolutely perfect. Could it get any better?" She laughed. "Thank you...you didn't have to go out of your way, especially since you just got back." She hugged him again, kissing his cheek. "But I'm glad you did." She kept her hand on his arm in preparation to shift.

Damien grabbed the basket and took Ashley's hand again, " well, be back late, so don't wait up." The room vanished after that and the smell of sweet flowers and the feel of water spray from the waterfall before them. The trees swayed gently against the wind and the wildlife seemed to be background noise. Since it was barely midday, the sun and the water spray felt wonderful. "Here we are"

Ashley took a deep breath, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she smiled. "It's beautiful," she exclaimed gently. "Everything is so green and fresh...it's the perfect spot for a picnic." She looked over at Damien. "I've always wanted to go on a picnic," she admitted shyly. "Thank you."

He gave her a quick kiss and pointed out the biggest tree with the nicest shade and view, "Well, I'm going to make this day unforgettable. I've got a present for you, but first I want to get set up and just relax for a little bit." He was smart enough to remember to change out of his uniform, once Ash had left the house earlier, so he kicked off his shoes and took off his over-shirt, feeling the grass crinkle under his feet. Hand in hand, the two went over to the tree and Damien laid out the large blanket, setting down the basket and offering Ash a seat, "well dear? Best date so far?"

Ashley brightened. "A present? I can't wait! You spoil me, Mr. Kelmore." She laughed, allowing him to lead her over to the tree, where she sat beside him after slipping off her own shoes. The grass was cool under feet, and she lightly scrunched her toes. She arranged the skirt of the dress around her, before glancing at Damien. "So far, I'd say it was an okay date," she said teasingly. "Impress me."

"Since you put it that way..." he knelt next to Ashley, fumbling into his pocket, "Ashley Vale, would you do me the great honor of... What the hell.. This shouldn't be that hard to say. Here we go." he finally brought out the tiny square box, opening it to reveal a diamond ring, "Will you marry me?"

Ashley had frowned in confusion as he knelt, rather than sit, next to her. Suddenly, her face cleared, replaced with shock. For a long moment, she simply gazed at the ring. Then she looked up at Damien, her eyes shining with joyful tears. "Damien Kelmore, I will be proud to call you my husband," she whispered, before suddenly throwing her arms around him. "Yes! I will marry you!"

Damien wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on top of him, kissing her softly, "well then, Mrs. Ashley Kelmore, that's not the only present I have for you." He reached into his pocket and pulled from it a small set of keys, dangling it in front of her face.

"Mrs. Ashley Kelmore. I like the sound of that," she giggled. "Another present? What could be better than becoming engaged?" She frowned in confusion. "Keys? Or is it what those keys unlock that is the present?"

"Well... I'll give you three guesses. Here's some clues. First, this has multiple openings that can be locked by this key. Second, you can store many, many things in this object and lastly, its about half hour outside of the city of Paris, in France." he smirked as he kissed her hands and left the keys in them, "now take a guess?

Ashley's eyes glimmered with excitement at the prospect of a challenge, "Hmm...A cardboard box," she said mischievously. "Or the key to the cage of some sort of pet?" She knew her answers were ridiculous, but she was teasing him. "Or could it be something better?" She laughed, tapping his nose with her key-free hand.

"You're teasing me... That's not fair, after all this work I went into buying us that house somewhere outside of France, with this as a nice 10 to 15 minute walk into the forest that is our backyard to this rather amazing picnic spot. I mean a life together is one thing but a light together with a house? That makes the package a whole lot better, Mrs. Kelmore." He said, mocking some Yankee car salesman. He reached into the picnic basket and pulled two bottles of warm butterbeer and popped off the tops.

Ashley's eyes widened. She lightly smacked Damien's shoulder. "You better not be teasing me, Mr. Kelmore. Only I get to tease you," she warned. "A house near France? Ten to fifteen minutes from here?" She smiled widely. "I don't even need to see the house to know I'll love it!" She sighed contentedly, scooting closer to him. "Thank you...for an absolutely perfect day so far...and yes, I suppose this will count as the best date ever." Ashley giggled.

"Why would I tease you? Besides, wait until the moon comes up in a couple of hours. The fireflies come out and this little pond with the waterfall is absolutely divine to swim in. You should look at what I made for dinner for us."

Ashley smiled dreamily. "It sounds perfect." With a laugh, she leaned forward, grabbing the basket and dragging it closer before looking inside. Her eyes shone. "You remembered my favorite things," she said incredulously. "Watermelon and brownies!" She continued looking through. "And of course, sandwiches." She smiled. "It's wonderful. The best part is being here with you though."

"I know. I just wanted this to be a day you would never forget. Besides, the way my mum goes on about you, you'd think she wanted to adopt you already. Well at least now she has an excuse to." Damien grabbed a sandwich and unwrapped it, taking a bite to savor a moment.

Ashley took a sandwich of her own, her mind racing with happy thoughts. "I adore your mother," she said with a laugh. "I don't mind having her as a mother-in-law." She took a bite, her mind now focusing on wedding plans. For a moment, her eyes were sad, but she quickly settled her face into its happy expression.

Damien caught a glimpse of the sadness and set down his sandwich to put a hand on her cheek, "what's wrong?

Ashley sighed, setting down her sandwich and folding her hands in her lap. "I don't want to ruin this wonderful moment, but I can't help wishing I could have my family there. Every other woman always has her dad or an older man who is special to her, to walk her down the aisle and give her away. I won't have that."

She looked up at him, gently tracing her fingers over his shoulder, feeling the muscles there. "I don't regret anything about falling in love with you. I just wish...I wish I could have my family there, to see me get married. If not my father, at least my brother. He was my best friend for years." She let out a short, sad laugh. "Don't mind me. I'm just having a girl moment. I'm sure many girls have moments like this when they get engaged."

Damien felt for her and really wished he could help; he took her hand and placed it on his cheek, "I know where Aaron is... He left your father's house not more than a month ago. I thought I'd have him followed since he was following us since we graduated. Probably something your father had ordered."

Ashley looked up at him, anguish in her eyes. "Oh Damien," she said softly. "Losing my father wasn't what hurt. It was Aaron...He's my brother, and we were close...Mother wished my father's influence hadn't been so strong, and that Aaron had followed my example...she never was a strong advocate of blood purity...but my father won."

She sighed. "If I could have one wish...it would be to have Aaron there, at our wedding. But he'll never come. Not without his anger and resentment. I know Mother would be more reasonable, if not sympathetic...but not even she could break Aaron of that stupid notion Father put in his head."

"Maybe you're right... But maybe I should talk to him. The last time I remember seeing him, he looked a bit apprehensive and all in all scared. Like he might have regretted it all. I can pay him a visit, if you can get a hold of your mother."

Ashley's eyes shone with hope and love. "It means a lot that you'd talk to him for me," she said quietly. "Thank you. But be careful...the Dark magic that he knows can no doubt compete against your alchemy, class 4 or no." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'll write my mother," she said at last. "Then we'll see if she is as devoted to my father as before."


	13. Chapter 13: Cold Regret

((Author's Note: I would like to thank all the views so far! 350+ and counting! I saw the review asking for more updates, so here's a new one for ya. On that note, I would like to apologize if my updates do come out slower than I have usually been posting them. I do work a full time job and a part time job to help keep a roof over my head. Sometimes trying to gather the energy to rummage through 1000 emails, piece them together to make a coherent story and edit it to make sense is sometimes a daunting task after six 12 hour days. I'm trying to post at least once a week, so that much I can promise you. Also, for my fans who are not registered (as to the two reviews I have received) I GREATLY implore you to make yourself an account and favorite/follow me as an author and The Alchemist: Legacy. It helps with my morale in keeping up with you guys as well as gives me the ability to notify you guys when I'm doing more chapters than the usual once a week or give you news to upcoming things. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! Get a account! You do not have to write fan fiction to have one! Thanks for your time.))

Since Aaron's father had been asking Aaron to spy on Ashley, it had become harder to keep things from his mother until he finally started to give her a report of all that happened as well. It had been about a week since he last stalked his twin sister and the rumor was that his father found out about the reporting Aaron had done to his mother and hired some people to do the job for him. As much as she despised Damien for stealing and corrupting Ashley, and Ashley for giving in to such tricks, he still cared a little. Why he decided to get up and follow the men his father had hired, he didn't know but something told him to. When the men stopped, he stopped to keep himself hidden. Why was Ash in Paris and where was that evil man she called her boyfriend?

Ashley bubbled with excitement. It had been a week since Damien had proposed to her, and everyone was excited for them. Mrs. Kelmore had insisted on helping with wedding plans, and even Amanda was enthusiastic about doing so as well. Damien had taken Ashley to see the house, and they had together agreed that it would indeed be perfect. It was small enough to manage, but large enough for a small family in the future. There was furniture already, but Ashley wanted to make the house a home. So she had successfully convinced Mrs. Kelmore to let her go off on her own, placating the woman with a book on floral arrangements. Now, she was heading off to find something first of all to get Damien as a wedding gift, and secondly as something to make the house truly theirs. She was careful to keep an eye out for her father, of course, but she failed to notice the three cloaked men as they followed her.

After a few hours of searching, she still hadn't found anything that caught her fancy. With a sigh, she left the store she was in, heading down the street. Her stomach rumbled lightly, and, casting a Tempus charm, she was shocked to discover that it was two o'clock in the afternoon. She'd better eat soon. She grumbled to herself as she moved down the street.

Suddenly, a rough hand latched onto her arm, and something - a wand, she guessed - jabbed into her side. "Keep quiet if you want to keep your tongue," a voice hissed dangerously.

Ashley fought to control her racing heart as she was pulled into a dark side street. Her abductor cast a Silencing charm, to her great dismay, and two other men stepped into her line of vision.

"Such a good girl," one sneered, face hidden in the shadow. "Now why couldn't you be this obedient for your father?"

"He sent you, didn't he," Ashley asked coldly. The three chuckled.

"No, we came of our own accord. You shamed Ethan, girl. We don't like that..."

She opened her mouth to snap back, when a sudden fist collided with her jaw, causing her to cry out in shocked pain. The man holding her suddenly released her, and she stumbled, as another punch hit her stomach.

"Stop, please," she whimpered. The tallest of the three stepped forward, shoving her against a wall.

"Shut up," he snarled. Suddenly, he pressed his lips to hers roughly, and she gasped in rage, biting hard on his lip until she tasted blood. The man returned with a cry of his own, slapping her as he backed away. "Bitch. She bit me!"

The other two laughed at the first, and he stalked towards her again.

"Don't touch me," Ashley hissed. He ignored her, attempting to kiss her again, when she jerked her knee up, causing him to fall to the ground, cursing the entire time.

Suddenly, she heard a muttered spell. "Crucio." She dodged the spell, her heart pounding. With frantic thoughts in her mind, she ran for the street, only to be tripped, and dragged back.

"No! Please! Somebody help!" she screamed, kicking out. Again, she was punched, and this time, she heard a crack, as her cheek suddenly flared in pain. The men began to throw punches and kicks as she struggled to reach her wand, preventing her from pulling it out. A few curses were thrown in, until she grew dizzy with pain. "Damien," she whispered, beginning to black out. "I'm so sorry...help me..."

He watched Ash come out of some muggle store then without warning, she disappeared into the alley. He got up and ran towards the alley, fearing the worst until he saw her get dragged back in. With shear anger, he drew his wand and started off with destruction spells and weakening hexes.

She barely registered the sudden sounds of her attackers shouting in surprise, and she was unconscious before she saw the flashing spells that signaled her savior's approach.

The men Ethan had hired were not hired for their bravery, rather hired to kill a woman weaker than them. So when Aaron suddenly began throwing spells at them, they all turned tail and fled, vowing to finish the job later.

Ashley remained unconscious, but her mind was still replaying the horror, and she cried out in pain as one of the fleeing men gave her a final, harsh kick. "Damien..." she groaned, barely coherent. Then she fell silent, her breathing shallow and quick.

Ash! AVADA KADAVRA!" he quickly whipped the tip of the wand at the man who had kicked his twin last. A green flare shot from his wand, bringing the man down into a pile of limp flesh. He quickly scooped up Ash into his arms and Apparated. He remembered that Ash had just moved into her own place with that devil of a boyfriend, but this was the only place he knew he could get help.

Damien had finished painting the bedroom a warm shade of red and green when the sound of the front door being kicked in shook him from a rather happy daydream. He grabbed his dagger and ran into the front room to find Ash in her brother's arms.

"Ash! You do that, Aaron? You here to kill us, have you? I will kill you!"

Aaron scowled at the devil. "Cool your jets, Damien," he snarled. "She may not be a Selwyn, but she's still my twin. I wouldn't kill her. You, maybe." Ash moaned softly as he gently placed her on the nearest couch.

"This would be my father's doing," Aaron said, straightening, his wand still pointed warningly at Damien. He glanced at his sister's prone form, spotting the flash of a ring on her left hand.

"He has friends, Damien. Cowards, the lot of them, but still bloodthirsty. I managed to stop them from killing her, but I don't know what they did before." He glanced at the rumpled blouse and the tiniest trace of blood on her lip.

"Did you guys get married?" he asked suddenly, fist tightening around his wand. "Actually, right now it doesn't matter. If you don't want her dying, put aside your hatred of me and help me heal her." Aaron stepped closer to his sister.

Damien set the sword down on the table and rushed off to Ashley's side, looking over how badly hurt she was. He looked to the small book shelf in the corner of the room, waving a hand to bring a book over to him, "Someone will have to answer for this Aaron and I'm not sure I'm ready to trust you yet." He flipped across several pages and found the spell he needed, "here. Do this, I'm not as well trained with a wand anymore."

He cracked his knuckles and felt across her ribs, "she's got a few cracks here," With a slight grunt, Damien used the bones that were broken to transmute them back to whole. There was a soft pop as the bones reset that made Damien wince.

Aaron glowered at him. "Nor do I trust you," he snapped, moving to take the book. He flipped it open, before finding the proper healing spells. He quickly did the one that would look for internal bleeding at heal it, before moving on to heal bruises, cuts, and any other injuries. He didn't tell Damien this, but he also searched for any signs that she had been violated. He knew those men; they had a low reputation for such things. To his relief, which showed on his face even though he tried to hide it, she hadn't been. Now he moved on to heal the slight concussion she had, before finishing. "Done," he said quietly.

Damien had kept a wary eye on Aaron as he did the healing, then left the rest of the healing to him as he was just resetting the cracks in several bones that were done up by whoever attacked her. When all was finished, he looked up to Aaron and nodded towards the kitchen to grab a towel. He stood up and grabbed the sword off the table to set on a weapons rack on the way to the kitchen, "Give me an excuse to not kill you Aaron?"

Aaron grabbed a towel, whirling around with wand up and pointing at Damien. "Because your dagger wouldn't stop me from killing you if I wanted to. So, I'm intentionally not attacking you, for Ash's sake. Just like you won't kill me for her sake."

Damien nodded and ripped the towel from Aaron's hands, "I have no bad blood with you, Aaron, just old anger for what you stood back and watched your father do to your sister. I still have some respect for you, mate. That's why I haven't had you killed every time I've sent someone to follow you since you seem to want to follow us." Damien ran the water from the faucet over the towel to get it soaked with ice cold water.

"Aaron... something you need to know. Ash and I... well you were close when you asked if we were married. We're engaged, getting married soon. I bought this house for the both of us; proved your father and you wrong. I love her and I'm still here with her, if that makes anything better."

Aaron's face darkened. "I hated him for that," he said in a low voice. "But I didn't dare interfere. If I interrupted the ceremony, I wouldn't have a sister to watch my father torture. I'd rather watch her writhing in pain, then look down at her cold, lifeless body. That's why I'd tortured her, the night I was expelled. I hated you for taking her away, for making it so that she either died or was tortured. I was angry enough to kill you." He glared at Damien. "I still hate you for tearing her from me. But now I see that there is no point in further driving her from me by killing you. I let my father think that I'm following her for his benefit, but it's more for mine. Now I can make sure that she's safe, and that if you ever hurt her, I can be her protector once more." His eyes reflected pain, as he looked down. "I see now that you do love her, but I won't fully believe that until the day you grow old together and die. I want to make sure..." He sighed. "I was her protector, her knight-in-shining-armor once. I guess that title is passing to you though."

As coldly as he said the words, in a way, it was Aaron's way of accepting the upcoming marriage, and of approving Damien, no matter how much he disliked him. Aaron was no fool; he knew the love between the two was strong. He couldn't take Damien away from Ash...it would destroy her.

Damien nodded, "yeah well, the orders are kill on sight for anyone not approved intruding within 100 meters of the house. Try and not stalk us so much will yah? Besides, I have a favor to ask of you." Damien rung out the towel and walked back into the living room. With a gentle hand, he wiped away the blood, then set the cold towel on her head, "though, I do believe that Ash should be the one to ask. She wanted me to talk to you about the wedding..."

Aaron let out a snort. "I'll keep that in mind," he said shortly, tucking his wand back into his pocket. He followed Damien into the other room, watching with a bitter smile as Damien gently cleaned Ash's face. Part of him shrieked at him to just hex him and be done with it, but a small part of him still argued against it. Thankfully, that part won.

"Let me guess. She wants me at the wedding?" Aaron asked, leaning against a wall, his arms crossed. He kept a stony expression on his face, but inside, he yearned to hear that it was true, that his twin wanted him at her wedding.

"She wants you IN the wedding. She wants you to give her away... Or at least that's the way I am taking it. If nothing else, I would like you as a groomsman. Unless you prefer to be a bridesmaid?" He moved Ashley's leg over a touch before sitting next to her with her hand in his, "Ash? Ash, wake up."

Aaron stood there, shocked. She wanted him...to give her away? Regret flared in his chest, and he couldn't speak. Not only was her request a desire to have him there, as an important figure to her...but it was also symbolic. She was asking him to let go of his hatred, to trust that the Mudblood would take care of her.

He didn't get to speak, though as Ashley stirred. Her head hurt, and she was sore all over. But she was alive. Ashley was surprised that the men hadn't killed her. She blinked open her eyes slowly, her gaze first resting on Damien with confusion. Then she spotted Aaron, and fear flashed in her eyes for a moment - fear for Damien. She shifted closer to Damien, wincing.

"I'm not here to kill him." Aaron's voice stopped her, and Ashley looked up.

"You rescued me?" she asked in a hoarse whisper. "But how-"

"I was watching them. I chased them off and brought you here."

Ashley was relieved. "Thank you," she said quietly, grimacing as she finally found a comfortable position, resting against Damien, hoping he didn't mind.

"I know about the engagement."

She looked up again. Aaron must have read the question in her eyes, because he hesitated, before slowly nodding with a sigh.

"I'll be there."

Ashley's eyes softened, and she glanced at Damien, before looking up at Aaron. "Will you give me away?" she asked softly.

This was it. Could he lose her forever? In his heart, Aaron knew she was as good as gone anyways. "Yes," he said at last, steadfastly refusing to look at Damien. "I will."

He stepped away from the wall. "You can contact me by owl. Father won't know about the wedding until afterwards, when it's too late."

"I'll have some Polyjuice potion and unregistered portkeys set up so you can get there without risking your "family status". I was also under the impression that your mother was also entertaining the idea of showing up." He leaned in to kiss Ashley, "I'm glad you're safe, love. Aaron, I don't know how to thank you for saving her life."

Aaron glanced at Ashley. "Mother got an owl the other day, but wouldn't tell me or Father about it. I'm assuming that was your owl?"

Ash nodded. "Well, all I can say is that Mother has seemed strangely pleasant since that owl. I think she is planning on coming. So we'll need two Polyjuice potions."

"Screw family status; I haven't been the best example of a Selwyn lately. I'm more concerned with keeping myself and Mother alive."

Ashley had brightened when she heard that her mother was coming. She happily kissed Damien back, her soreness forgotten. She didn't see as Aaron studied Damien for a moment, before nodding in acknowledgement.

"Take care of her," he said in a low voice, before suddenly Apparating away.


	14. Chapter 14: The Wedding

Damien had paced around frantically; to his left stood his father dressed sharply in a pin stripe suit while at his right was Ryan McTavish, his partner from the Vanguard. He was waiting for Aaron and his mother, waiting to see if they'll show up already taken the Polyjuice potions with the hair samples. Damien, who was dressed in a nice white suit with red accenting, messing with his ponytail (a favor that was asked of him from his bride to be, letting his hair grow out.)

"Where the hell could they be? They better not have been caught, or I'll feel bad."

"They may still be waiting for the last portkey to become active."

It wasn't long before a man with red hair and lots of freckles ran into the room, "Ah, there you are Damien! It's good to see you again."

"Been a while Arthur. Dad, Ryan, this is Arthur Weasley, we went to school together."

"Anyways, you got some visitors, said they're friends of yours."

Aaron hated the light brown fringe that covered his eyes. The kid seriously needed to cut his hair. At least his appearance was distorted enough that he no longer looked like himself, but like a distant relation to Ashley. As he was supposed to be a distant cousin, banished from the Selwyn family ages before, it worked. He glanced down at his mother, who appeared younger than she normally was, thanks to the Polyjuice. Her eyes were also a warm brown color, rather than her usual hazel.

He steadied his mother as the Portkey activated, and they appeared in front of the house. A tent had been set up in back, for the wedding and reception, he assumed. He and his mother were quickly invited into the house, where they were led to the room Damien was in. Aaron recognized the man outside as Arthur Weasley, a Gryffindor he recognized but didn't actually know. The man informed Damien of their arrival, then Aaron poked his head into the room. Damien looked nervous, and Aaron didn't pity the man.

"Hey," he said awkwardly, eyeing the two other men in the room. One looked faintly like Damien, and he guessed that was his father, but the other man was not one he had seen before. "Did you need me here, or should I go check on Ash? Mother and I got here without any trouble, and I know Mother is just dying to see her..."

"The groomsmen aren't allowed near the bridesmaids, Stephan. You ought to know that... You mother will be fine to go in there, but I was told by my mother no men allowed." Damien walked over to Mrs. Selwyn, noticing a huge difference between her and her disguise, "it's a pleasure to finally meet you! Ashley is in the bedroom, if you wish to see her."

Aaron shrugged. "Not too familiar with wedding traditions," he said, not too embarrassed. He wasn't. His mother lightly swatted his shoulder though.

"You ought to be," she scolded, before turning to study Damien. It had been awhile since she'd seen the young man. "You had better be taking good care of my daughter, Mr. Kelmore," she said, sternly shaking a finger at him before turning away. "I'm off to find Ashley now. Keep getting ready, before I change my mind about you marrying her, and decide to keep her for myself!" Aaron raised an eyebrow at his mother's retreating figure, turning back to Damien.

"She still likes you. Guess Father hadn't corrupted her enough," he said with a shrug.

Meanwhile, Ashley was sitting in a chair in front of the bureau, eyes closed obediently, as Meghan and Amanda and Mrs. Kelmore fussed over her hair. "No peeking!" Amanda admonished, as Ashley again attempted to look.

"You almost done?"

Meghan's giggle was her only answer, before Mrs. Kelmore tapped her shoulder. "Done."

Ashley opened her eyes and gasped. She'd known the dress was beautiful, but to see the reflection in the mirror...and with her hair and makeup skillfully done...it stunned even her. She stood and turned to look in the full length mirror Meghan had brought. The strapless dress had a heart shaped neckline, with a form fitting bodice that blossomed into a full, ruffled skirt. Her hair was dark against the white, and had been pinned up in a mass of curls, save for a single tendril which was left hanging down the left side of her neck. A diamond necklace and diamond earrings completed the simple, yet elegant look. Ashley felt tears prick at her eyes, and Mrs. Kelmore spotted them.

"Ah, ah, no crying yet. Not when we did such a fabulous job on the makeup," she said firmly. Ashley was glad for her support.

Suddenly, a gentle voice was heard from the doorway. "Might I come in?"

Ashley whirled around. "Mother!" she cried. "You came!"

Mother and daughter all but raced to each other, embracing tightly for a long moment. The other women were silent, letting them have a moment. Then Mrs. Selwyn held her daughter at arms' length. "You look beautiful, darling," she said proudly. "I can't believe my little girl has grown up..."

"Come on, Mother, don't make me cry," Ashley said, choking back tears. The day and its impact now hit her full force, and she felt dizzy. Her mother noted the suddenly pale face, and she chuckled.

"Don't worry, dear, he won't leave you hanging. Just relax...just an hour or so, and you'll be partying. Relax..."

Ashley relaxed, as her mother joined the crowd of cooing women, as they continued to fuss over last minute details.

Once Arthur Weasley and Aaron's mother had left the room, Damien shut the door and circled Aaron before giving in with a smile, "come here man. Give me a hug. You owe me that much since I got the Ministry to back off of you. You killed that man to save my wife, this way I'd saw we're even."

Aaron hesitated, torn between his resentment of the man, the hatred his father had bred in him, and the old comradery they had once had. The memory of their friendship was foremost in his mind, and stepped forwards, wrapping Damien in a bear hug. "Hey, old friend," he said quietly. "Thanks for getting the Ministry off of my back."

"we'll take care of this problem of ours later. As far as I'm concerned, you're going to be my brother, so you better get used to this face." Damien gave Aaron one last pat on the back before motioning to the door, "you have to see the backyard. It's just a small wedding, but it's absolutely gorgeous."

Aaron smirked. "I have to get used to seeing and tolerating that face?" he said with mock horror. "How much are you paying her?" He chuckled, showing his teasing, as they exited the room, heading outside to the backyard. Damien hadn't been exaggerating; while indeed small, it was more than gorgeous. It was absolutely breathtaking. Aaron looked around. "Not bad," he murmured, still looking around.

Damien smirked, sticking a finger into some hor' dourve dip. The catering lady slapped Damien's hand, "Monsieur Kelmore, please. Wait until the reception." "Sorry, Emiline. Getting hasty." "Damien, you should come out front, someone's just got here, "someone yelled.

Aaron sniggered. "My apologies, Madame. The groom is nervous before his wedding and is not thinking clearly." He winked at the woman, before following Damien around to the front.

Ashley looked up nervously as Mrs. Kelmore entered the room once more, "The men are already in place," the woman said excitedly. "And A-Stephen is waiting for you, darling."

She took a deep breath, as her mother and Mrs. Kelmore left before her, and she followed behind Amanda and Meghan, her bridesmaid and maid-of-honor downstairs, where Aaron was waiting.

Aaron was astonished. His sister practically glowed, despite her nervousness. He stepped forwards, holding his arm out, as he whispered in her ear, "You look beautiful, sis." She looked up at him with a happy smile, as the doors to the backyard opened, and Meghan and Amanda went before her. Ashley's grip on Aaron's arm tightened, as they began to walk forward, the music of the piano accompanying them.

Damien stood out in front of the makeshift alter, covered in flowers. With Ryan right by his side, he joked around a bit, making sure that he wasn't going to lose his mind before Ashley got up front. Then she stepped out from the house; a beautiful icon of love in Damien's eye.

He gave her a wide smile, enjoying the view of the angel before him. Ashley's gaze roved over the assembled guests, then to the backs of Meghan and Amanda in front of her, then to the tearfully proud smile of her mother, before she met Damien's gaze. In an instant, the pavilion and the guests and music faded, leaving nothing in her mind but the smile of the man she loved. It seemed to take an eternity, but before she knew it, Aaron was giving her the final hug. "Goodbye, my twin," he whispered in her ear, before releasing her and looking up at Damien.

As he gave her away, Aaron locked eyes with him for a moment, as if saying, "I'm trusting you with her...take care of her." Then she was gone, standing by Damien's side before the Vanguard officiate.

Damien took Ashley's hand and turned to her, smiling ear to ear. The officiate started on, but Damien had tuned him out to continue looking deep into Ashley's eyes. He was offered a moment to say something, which the officiate had snapped at him, "Damien! You have your own written vows, yes?"

"oh. Right, sorry. I do. Ashley Vale, you mean the world to me, more than life itself. I have no need to live if I don't have you in my life. Today, I offer you all that I am, for the end of days. Today I am offering you my soul, my health and my love for the rest of eternity."

Ashley just wanted nothing more than to have him hold her close right now, and shut out everyone. But she must wait until later for that. For now, they were exchanging vows. She felt her eyes beginning to become moist as Damien pledged his love to her. Then it was her turn, "Damien Kelmore, you are my life. You are the sun I wake up to, the air that I breathe. You are the very purpose of my life. Without you, I am nothing but an empty shell. Today, I pledge my love to you, and I offer myself to you as a friend, as a confidant, and as a wife. You have everything of me: my heart, my soul, and everything I may possess. I will never leave your side for all of eternity; I will always be with you, in life and in death."

The officiate continued, but once again Damien wasn't paying attention. He leaned into Ash and whispered to her, "man, this guy is long winded." Another few minutes of listening to long drawn out verbiage, he pointed to Damien, "Repeat after me, Damien."

Damien obeyed with a smile, "I, Damien Kelmore, take you to be my bride. Through strife and fortune, through sickness and in health and in times of great challenge both good and bad. Death will not break the shackles of our love and together forever we shall both be." when he was finished he looked to Ashley, asking the same of her.

Ashley was forced to stifle a giggle as Damien whispered to her, but she did give him a playful glare, which fortunately, no one saw. She looked deep into Damien's eyes, her heart swelling with joy and love. "I, Ashley Vale, take thee to be my husband. Through strife and fortune, in wealth or poverty, in sickness and in health, and times of great challenge both good or bad. Death shall not break the shackles of our love, and together forever we shall be."

She didn't look away from Damien as they brought forth the rings, and the officiate instructed Damien to take the ring. Damien picked up the ring off of the pillow and held Ashley's hand gently as he began to slip the ring on her finger, "with this ring, I promise to give you a lifetime of peace and an eternity of happiness. With this ring, I make thee my wife."

Ashley smiled, tears beginning to cloud her vision. She picked up the ring, and placed the ring on Damien's finger on. "With this ring, I thee wed. My body, my knowledge, and my love all belong to you. With this ring, I make thee my husband."

The officiate put his hands on both Damien's and Ashley's, "you may now kiss your bride." Damien grabbed Ashley and dipped her deep into a passionate kiss Ashley knew that they should keep it to a short, sweet kiss, but she couldn't help herself, as she returned the kiss. For a long moment, during which Amanda and Meghan leaned together to whisper, "Aw," Ashley kept her lips on Damien's before reluctantly pulling back slightly.

"I love you, Mr. Kelmore," she whispered with a smile. "You're mine now."

"I always belonged to you, Mrs. Kelmore. Forever and always." He walked with her back down the isle to the house.

The Reception Later That Evening

It was several hours into the reception, everyone enjoying themselves and having a blast with the newlyweds. Damien, who was getting a bit tired after all the picture taking and dancing, strolled up behind Ashley and wrapped his arms around her. With a gentle kiss on her neck, he whispered, "hey, I got permission to sneak away for a moment. Lets go to the waterfall really quick."

Ashley's face was sore from the constant smiling, as she met with guest after guest. Sometime earlier, she had been separated from Damien, as she greeted over exuberant women. She'd spotted Aaron (disguised though he was) several times, but had yet to speak to him.

Suddenly, she was startled by someone, then she relaxed as the familiar voice whispered in her ear. "Yes, let's," she agreed enthusiastically, hitching up the hem of her skirt slightly as she followed her new husband.

Since the moon had came down over the land, the light it expelled gleamed brightly over the trees and small pond near the falls. Damien pushed branches out of the way and helped Ashley through to the clearing. He smiled wide and picked up his new bride and spun her about, "by the gods, how much do I love you, Ash? Probably more than I can account for."

Ashley knew her mother would be horrified by the way she went along with little care to the dress. She wasn't getting it torn or dirty, so she was fine. She forgot any thoughts of anything other than Damien, however, as he picked her up and spun her around. She let out a happy laugh. "As I love you, Damien. My Damien." She leaned down, pressing her lips to his, whispering into the kiss, "We're finally married. Nothing can separate us now."

Damien set her down and led her to the big tree they had first gotten engaged and he drew out a small dagger, etching into it his name, looking to his wife, "this is our tree now. "

Ashley gazed at the tree with fondness and a small smile on her lips. "Our tree," she repeated softly. "Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" She took the dagger from him with a contented sigh, etching her own name into the tree, next to Damien's. "So that everyone will see the proof of our love," she murmured, touching the etchings.

Damien stuck the dagger back into the tree and sat down underneath it, looking up at the moon, "well. I don't think life could get any better, though my mum will disagree."

Ashley brandished her wand with a smirk. Ever since that one attack, she'd carried it everywhere. This time, she'd tucked it into a small holster she'd bought, one meant for Auror's. With a murmured charm, a nearby leaf was transfigured into a makeshift blanket, which she sat on, preventing grass stains. There was enough room for them both. She looked up at the stars as well. "I think life can always get better," she said softly. She could imagine the two of them having a family, and that made her smile. Sure, she'd have to give up her dream job, but it would be worth it. At least she would get a few months as an Auror. She'd recently been accepted as a Jr. Auror, and had yet to tell Damien about it, but would another day. For now, she just wanted to sit with her new husband.


	15. Chapter 15: To Have Love and Lost

Ashley had been busy looking through a file regarding another questionable wizard, when she suddenly froze with a frown. Going to the calendar she kept in her office, she studied it for a moment, eyes widening. She grabbed her coat and wand, and left the office, calling to her colleague Tyler, "I'll be back in ten!" The man nodded, waving her off as she hurried to the Floo room, deep in the Ministry.

She mentally cursed herself, as she rushed to a nearby Muggle store, having Apparated to a deserted alley. She had been so caught up with her work, that she hadn't noticed. And her time at home was spent house-keeping or spending time with Damien. She was too busy to have noticed. It was silly, really. How could she have completely missed the warning signs?

Five minutes later found her in a Muggle bathroom, staring at a little white stick. More accurately, she was staring at the strip of blue at the end. Positive. Suddenly, it all made sense. The nausea she was beginning to experience. The sudden mood swings. Her missed period.

She was pregnant.

Ashley stood there for a moment, absorbing the shock of the discovery. Worry replaced the growing joy. What would Damien say? What of her job? What if, what if?

She touched her still-flat stomach. She knew she was being unreasonable. Damien would be ecstatic. With a quick check to make sure no women were in the bathroom, she Apparated.

She managed to get off of work early, claiming she felt ill. Ashley dodged the comments and get-well-wishes, quickly Flooing home. Damien would be back tonight. She might as well prepare a good meal for dinner, after which she could share her news. A happy smile came to her face.

Pregnant.

She began to hum as she cooked.

Damien had been tangled up with the Ministry this day, working with some Aurors to help catch an alchemist accused of tinkering with muggle toys and tools, sending them out into the muggle world for them to get hurt with. There was a near fatal experience with one such tool between a poor old man and an angle grinder. The grinder almost hacked off the man's leg and his head. Fortunately, the man's wife ended up killing it with a shotgun.

Damien grabbed his targets greasy hair and slammed him face first into a brick wall, rendering him unconscious. With a pouch of sand at his hip, he formed a pair of wrist restraints and locked them in place, sealing them to keep the young troublemaker from breaking free of them. He picked the young man up onto his shoulder and carried him to the Auror in charge of the case, Allister Moody. He handed the man over with satisfied smile, "there you go, one bad guy all wrapped up and unconscious."

"Good work, boy. Nice to have some sort of back up. So where's your partner?"

There was a soft thud then a loud crash as a second man came flying through the crossroad of the alleyway. The man slammed hard into the wall, falling into a big pile of trash, before passing out himself. Ryan sauntered slowly, carrying his massive war hammer in hand as he checked out the man, "He'll live I think."

"You think. There's no reward if they're dead; best you're positive he'll live."

Ryan laughed as he pulled a pair of restraints from his belt and placed the man under arrest. Once all was cleared, they apparated back to the Ministry's lock up, tossing the men into the cramped cell. With a sigh of relief, Damien dropped into a chair and kicked his feet up, "well now that that is taken care of, I can go home to my wife."

"How is the missus, boyo?"

"She misses me. I mean we've only been married a year now, but still, its nice. I miss her right now. I'll see you guys later," he shook his partner's hand, then Moody's and shifted out of the jail to his house, where he took off his uniform top.

Ashley heard the rustling of a shirt that signaled her husband's arrival. Her heart rate increased slightly, but she kept her face and voice calm as she called out, "Hey! How was your day?" She glanced over her shoulder, not wanting to leave off stirring the pot. No sense in burning down the house now, not when they may very well have a baby in the next nine or so months. She wasn't exactly sure how long she'd been pregnant.

He undid the secondary gear belt, setting the bag on the chair with his shirt, "it was the same as usual. Find bad guy, chase bad guy, end up smashing his head in. I can't wait until I'm done working with the Ministry on these capture missions. How was your day?" He stepped into the kitchen and hugged her lovingly.

Ashley chuckled, returning the hug. "I spent the day on paper work. Here I signed up to be an Auror, and nobody told me how much paperwork there would be!" She shook her head in mock dismay. "Other than that, it was a fine day. I was in a good mood." She smiled up at him, giving him a soft kiss.

"Yeah... I'm supposed to be doing paperwork right now, but I just dumped it all on Moody and McTavish; let them deal with it. I want to come home to my wife and enjoy it for once. We're so busy with work and such. What are you cooking?" He took off his undershirt and flicked it, turning it into a casual dress shirt that he wore without buttoning.

Ashley snickered. "Lazy," she teased. "Poor Ryan and Moody. Oh well, I can't say I'm disappointed. I get to spend time with you." She tapped his nose, before turning back to the stove. "It's a new pasta dish I'm trying," she said, glancing at the clock. She grabbed a canister, and sprinkled some of its contents into the pot. "Actually, the flavoring and sauce is new. Otherwise, it would be plain pasta." She stirred, before setting down the spoon.

"Well it smells lovely, darling." He leaned against the countertop, looking her up and down before sighing again, "Something's been on my mind lately... I may as well just get it out. I know we talked about it some time ago, decided we weren't ready and all, but I kind of want to have kids. You won't have to leave the Ministry, or at least go for long. Maternity leave and all. Just, I wouldn't mind staying home more often and I... I dunno, just wanna give it a try."

If she had been drinking water, Ashley would have choked or spit it out. As it was, she tensed slightly. "Kids, huh?" she asked in an odd voice. She set down the spoon, and waved her wand at it, supposing she might as well use magic on it to keep it stable.

There was a slight smile on her face as she turned around. "I guess I might want a family," she said nonchalantly. "How about in say, oh, I don't know, nine months?"

He looked at her with a strange look. He hopped onto the counter and shook his head, "say what? Can you run that by me once more? You want to try next year?"

Ashley moved closer to him, placing her hands on his knees. "I meant, would you be okay with having a child in about nine months? You see," she said with an impish grin, "I'm pregnant." She watched his face for his reaction.

For a moment, he couldn't process the information quick enough. His eyes closed and his head cocked as if straining to hear her more properly. Once he though he heard her right, his face lit up and his hands went to her hair to play with, "wha? I-I-I'm going to... You're p...YES!" He jumped off the table and picked Ashley up as he did on their wedding day. A rush of joy finally caught up with him and he was too excited to want to be indoors. He was almost tempted to go outside and scream it out to the world. "By the gods honey! How far along?"

Ashley giggled. "I take it you're excited," she said happily, kissing him briefly. "I just found out today, but I suspect it's been a few weeks, maybe a month or so. I set up a doctor's appointment earlier, so we should find out next Tuesday." She sighed with contentment, resting her head on his chest. "We're going to have a baby! Us!"

Many months later

Damien was in the kitchen, making iced tea and some treats. When he had told his quartermaster of the incoming baby, they made it so he could be home more often while still getting work. He brought the pitcher out with the tray onto the stone patio and called to Ash, who was somewhere off on her own.

Ashley was upstairs, again looking over paperwork. Her manager had allowed her to work at home as much as possible, and had made her leave off fieldwork. For the length of the pregnancy, anyways.

"Yes, Damien?" she called. "I'll be right down."

He had set up a simple array of things for the two of them to eat, though he kind of wanted to invite some people for some reason. When she came down, his smile widened, "you should break from work. You've been at it since too early this morning."

Ashley smiled. "I know, I just love the challenge though. I'm gonna miss it when I take my leave." She walked over to him, just as a spasm of pain ripped through her. Her face paled as she dropped to her knees, clutching at her stomach. Something warm began to drip down her thighs, and as she looked down, her jeans were beginning to darken.

"Damien?!" she asked in a panicked voice. "Something's wrong! Something's not right...it's...aaah!" She screamed in pain, doubling over, as her stomach contracted painfully.

His smile faded as she doubled over in pain. He took a quick look` around to see if someone or something was causing it until her jeans started to darken. He dropped the pitcher and ran over to her, scooping her into his arms, "we need to get you to a hospital quick. St. Mungo's is too far. We'll have to go to the muggle hospital." He lifted her up and Apparated the two of them to the only hospital he knew was near by. He ran into the ER, yelling for help in French.

Ashley couldn't stop screaming, and now a hint of fear was in her cry. "The baby," she managed to gasp out, as another spasm wracked her. A doctor ran in, alerted by the screams, and he took in Ashley's slightly rounded stomach. He caught her words, and immediately guessed the problem.

"Nurse!" he called. "We have a premature delivery!"

Within moments, the doctor was taking Ashley from Damien, and a nurse was holding an IV attached to Ashley's arm. She was quickly transported via gurney into an empty operating room. "She's losing blood," the nurse called. "Pulse and blood pressure are high, doctor. She's stable though..."

"Do we have a reading on the baby?"

"Baby? Doctor, there's no second pulse."

The doctor nodded grimly, before turning to a quickly fading Ashley. Her jeans were quickly removed, as he began instructing her on what to do.

Ten minutes later, she gave birth to a baby boy. He would never open his eyes or take a breath.

Damien wasn't allowed into the ops room, which made him panic more. After ten or so minute, he was greeted by the doctor with a sad look on his face. He ran to him and grabbed him by the collar, "Ash? How's Ash? And my baby? How are they sir!?" "Your wife is safe sir... But you should go in there and spend a moment with your wife. Your wife delivered a stillborn baby boy." Damien's face contorted to pain as he ran into the ops room. The nurse handed him his son, no pulse no consciousness.

They had cleaned her and tried to get her to respond, but she couldn't. The pain and shock of losing her son was too great. She only stared at the undersized bundle in the nurse's arms. Then her husband entered the room, but she had yet to respond. Her son was dead...dead without ever living. Dead.

Damien cradled the delicate bundle of flesh, sobbing silently over it. His tears dropped like boulders from his cheek onto his dead son's face, leaving a gaping hole in his chest. He was given a chair, which he pulled up next to Ashley, finally making curses and slurs under his breath as the pain settled in further. He sat next to Ashley, keeping his son close, "Ash... Look at me... Please say something."

Ashley could dimly hear Damien's sobs, and a small part of her wanted to comfort him. But she didn't know how to. And how could she, when she had delivered his son dead? "I killed him," she whispered. "I did something...there must have been something..." A tear slipped from her eye. "He...I...our son..." She burst into sobs.

"You didn't kill him... This isn't your fault. Its just something we have no control over." He wrapped an arm around her, cradling their stillborn son.

Ashley let out another sob, now gently touching their son's face, "Aaron...I would have made his middle name Aaron...what would we have named him?"

He looked into his wife's eyes then back at his son, "Tristan. Tristan Aaron. Our son... May you rest peacefully."


	16. Chapter 16: To Have Never Loved At All

There was a somber silence through the household and the forest. The trees didn't sway, though there was a substantial gust of wind blowing. In the living room sat Damien's mother and sister as well as a coworker of Ashley's, trying to make Ashley feel somewhat better. It'd been two days since Tristan's miscarraige and since then Damien hardly spoke a word. Next to him stood his partner, Ryan, his father and two other collegues of his. While standing in the kitchen of the little house, Ian needed to break the mood somehow. He put his arm around Damien, "maybe we should mix up a few drinks..."

Ashley had not said much since Tristan's death. She only spoke when necessary, and thankfully the women understood her need to grieve. They simply sat there comfortingly.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, and Cathy, her coworker, went to the door. "Alistor," Ash heard her say. "What are you doing here?"

Alistor Moody stepped through the door, his face grim. "I just came from Obliviating a few of the Muggle doctors. Apparently there was an illegal Apparition there."

Cathy frowned. "Do you need me there?"

"It's not you I came for." Two more men entered the house. "It's him." His face didn't change, as he motioned to Damien. Ashley looked up, shocked. "Damien, I'm sorry, but I have to take you into custody for magic usage in front of Muggles."

McTavish stepped forward to keep the Aurors from coming near Damien, but a gentle hand stopped him, "Ryan... Stop. I can handle this. Moody. My son... Our son. Our beautiful son is dead. He never had a chance to live and you honestly think that now is a perfectly wonderful time to come here and bother me about coming into the Ministry's custody for some stupid shit regarding the muggles? MY SON HAS DIED YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD! You want me, you can go fuck yourself... You'll have a fight on your hands before I dare leave this house with any Ministry goon.

Alistor sighed. "I'm sorry, lad, but those are my orders. We have no choice but to take you with us." The other two men stepped forwards, brandishing their wands. But before anyone could react, their wandsflew from their hands. They whirled around, startled. Ashley was on her feet, face deadly calm. She was holding their wands.

"Ashley, don't do this...it's Ministry orders!"

"The Ministry can go to hell!" Ashley suddenly shouted. She held up the wands. "The Ministry is a heartless, worthless piece of shit! My son is dead, and the Ministry has the audacity to attempt to arrest my husband for happening to save my life in front of Muggles?" She strode forward angrily, jabbing a finger at Moody. "You once told me that I was one of the strongest Aurors in the Ministry. But you're telling me that the Ministry is going to throw my husband in jail, rather than thank him for keeping me from dying? It's bad enough my son is dead, but this..." She couldn't go on, as Moody pointed his wand at her.

"Ashley, stop."

"No!"

Moody sighed. "I don't want to do this, but...Stupefy." The spell flew at Ashley, who merely raised a hand. "Protego," she snapped. The spell froze in midair. Ashley threw it to the side.

"Don't. Mess. With. Me."

"Wasn't aware you knew wandless magic," Cathy commented, not moving to stop the proceedings.

"And I'm more than proficient with it too," Ashley snarled. "Now. You have less than a minute to get out of my house."

Moody shook his head, a Patronus beginning to appear. "Don't make me call backup," he pleaded. Ashley chuckled darkly.

"I'll take them on too," she snarled. "Get out!"

Ashley barely saw much beyond her anger, as she summoned the wands, and threw them at the Aurors. "Get out!" she screeched, firing a stinging hex at them. The men yelled in surprised hurt as they all but flew out of the house. Alistor made a less cowardly escape, but he did run nonetheless. He paused for a moment, as Ashley followed, standing furiously outside of the door. Her magic flucuated with her anger, causing a small gust to whip her hair around wildly.

"Ashley, think one moment. I'll try to convince the Ministry otherwise, but this could cost you your job!"

Ashley fired another stinging hex. "I don't want to work for the Ministry if they are going to be anal about something so stupid!" she yelled after him. Alistor dodged her last hex, before Apparating away.

Damien watched as the other Aurors Aparated away before grabbing Ashley and holding her close, "Ash... I'll have to hear about it soon, from somewhere... Either they'll come back later or they'll send the militia over. In any event we should get inside." McTavish stepped out along with the other alchemists, who looked ready for a fight, "we'll be here if they want to try again. We will keep you safe."

Now that the threat of losing Damien was gone, Ashley seemed to wilt, "They better not come back," she said weakly, slumping against Damien as they returned to the house. "They won't take you from me...never."

Damien sauntered in with Ashley in his arms, feeling not her physical weight but that of the emotional weight she bore in her heart. He needed to sit down and relax as this was going to be a hard day. He dropped into the couch, leaving room for his wife to lay down in his lap, "no one will keep us apart. I will kill anyone who does."

it didn't take too many people to lift the small casket that would forever enclose Tristan. Damien wanted to, but every time he got near it, he broke down. Everyone had walked to the waterfall where Damien and Ashley spent most of their loving days at; where in the large willow tree was etched the couple's name and the water's descent from the higher elevations seemed to stay quiet as a sign of respect and mourning. Damien's father had dug up a little plot under the willow, where Tristan would remain cradled.

Ashley was pressed against her husband's side as they followed the casket. She no longer had the tears to cry, instead mourning in numb silence. She watched as her son was rested on the ground, and barely heard as someone began speaking some sort of eulogy. She just stood there.

Ian began to euligy, but like Ashley, Damien was not capable of hearing it. His kept as closely as he could to Ashley, feeling some comfort with her. It wasn't until a sharp nudge from his right that Damien realized someone was talking to him. "my son and daughter... I feel for your loss and share your pain. Let us lay Tristan Aaron Kelmore here to rest and let his parents be the first and last to say goodbye." Damien knelt with a hand on the sepulchre as the other grabbed a handfull of dirt, which he gently spread over its top.

Ashley knelt beside him, her hand trailing in the dirt. "He would have been a fine son and a good man," she murmured to Damien. She let her handful of dirt fall onto Tristan's grave. "But we can't let his death completely destroy us. We have to keep going through life..." Her eyes began to shine with unshed tears, as she gazed at the dirt.

Damien sighed in agreement, standing up to back away. Ian continued his eulogy, "We are all but shadows and dust and for all of us, one day we too will join him. These feelings and the anticipation of death are all the penalties of life. Though he is gone, we will live on with his memory." Damien closed his eyes as the casket was lowered into the ground.

The sounds of footsteps behind him echoed loudly in his head, "Damien, Ashley, I'm sorry for your loss and more sorry that you forced me to do this, but I have to take you both in right now."

Everyone turned to see a dozen Aurors led by Moody, all with wands at the ready.

Ashley sighed sadly. "Goodbye, my son," she whispered. Suddenly, Moody's voice broke out. "How dare you?" she hissed, turning with her own wand out. "How dare you dishonor my son by interrupting something meaningful?" She raised her chin defiantly. "I will not go with you. I will fight the Ministry on this. I know a good lawyer. Do not make the mistake of crossing my husband or I..."

Damien turned to his father and whispered something into his ear. With a silent nod, Ian shifted away. Damien stepped up and squared off, which Moody took as a challenge, "it don have to be like this. You just have to give yourself up Damien and Ashley's charges will get dropped. Otherwise we'll have to fight you here." McTavish looked to Cathy, who had lifted her wand to Damien,

"Ash... Please. Just do as he asks."

Ashley shot a hateful glare at Moody. "You want me to give up my husband - betray him - so that I get out of trouble? You, sir, can go to hell. My place is with my husband, for better or for worse." An Auror fired a disarming spell at her and it landed, sending her wand flying. Ash just chuckled. "You think that being wandless is going tostop me? I'm just as strong without it."

Damien heard Ashley's coworker and turned around. He tapped Ashley to point out that her friend was betraying her as he turned back around to face Moody. "You honestly should have left when you had the chance Allistor. This isn't a fight you want to bring to my home right now. I'm in a mood to kill."

Ashley hadn't noticed Cathy until Damien tapped her. Surprise was replaced by hurt, which was in turn replaced by sorrowful anger. Cathy lowered gaze. "I'm sorry, Ashley," she said softly. "But it was this or I'd lose my job." Ashley just started at her coldly.

Alistor snapped his fingers. "Cathy, do your job," he said sternly, before jabbing his wand at Damien. "Petrificus Totalus!"

At the same time, Cathy yelled, "Immobulus," at Ashley. Ashley just threw the spell to the side with a bored look, before firing her own spell.

Damien pushed the spell away with the wind, stomping his foot down. The earth crackled and split all the way to Moody. When it stopped, the earth speared forward and around the men that were there to capture the couple. He started to bring his hands closer together bringing the spears closer towards their victims, "throw down your wands or lose your lives."

Alistor's expression tightened. "Don't do this, Damien," he said quietly. "You kill us, and you'll be a wanted man. You'll never find peace with your wife then."

"We'll never find peace if he's in Azkaban," Ash snarled, just as one of the men Apparated away.

Suddenly, Cathy fired a spell, and Ashley dodged it, not seeing the man reappear just behind her. She let out a surprised cry of anger, as the man grabbed her and held his wand to her throat. "Kill them, and lose her," the man said quietly. Ashley struggled, and Cathy Petrified her so that she couldn't move.

McTavish grabbed Cathy and pulled her backwards into the arms of another before quickly sauntering towards the Auror. He shifted to the side, bringing a heavy stomp into the man's ribs before slamming the back of his hand into the man's neck.

"Damien, let them go!" a familiar voice echoed as two white figures and Ian shifted back into the fray. The High General stood between them; Damien obeyed the order. "you have no jurisdiction here, Aurors. Leave my men alone, otherwise I will turn a blind eye. The Kelmore's are exhanerated from these charges by alchemist law."

Ashley had fallen to the ground, still Petrified, but Cathy had released the spell after a moment. She sat up, glaring at Cathy. "Ash, I'm sorry..."

"You are no friend of mine," Ashley said coldly, moving to stand by Damien with a grateful nod to Ryan. She focused on the High General, a smug look on her face as Alistor backed down.

"I didn't realize the Vanguard no longer listened to Ministry rules," Moody said in a hard tone. "But very well. Mrs. Kelmore, consider yourself no longer an Auror. If you come back, you will find your office closed to you. Your belongings will be owled to you."

Ashley tensed, then relaxed. "So be it," she snapped. "I don't care… I just want you to go." Moody waved a hand, then one by one, the Aurors Apparated away.

Damien relaxed, feeling a wave of fatigue strike him hard. His father ran to him and helped to hold him up. The High General snapped her fingers, stopping two of the Aurors as well as Moody from Apparating.

With a confident stride, she approached them with hand on her glinting handled saber. The two Aurors that were Moody's back up seemed frightened, since their Apparations failed. She pressed her finger into Moody's chest, "the Vanguard does not take orders from the Ministry, that is why we gave you your own militia a century ago. You tell that bitch, Ashcroft to use her own men for your marks and missions. My men are no longer at your beckon call." She snapped her fingers again and the field she set up around them disappeared.

Moody remained calm, knowing she would not kill him. Yet. "Ashcroft won't be happy to hear that," he growled. "But I will convey the message nonetheless." He jabbed a finger at Ashley. "You've fallen into the wrong sort of company, Kelmore. He may be your husband, but he's no different from any of them: lying, conniving, rule-breaking, murdering little bastards. I would not trust him if I were you. You never know what he's hiding. Or any of them for that matter. They're dangerous, the lot of them. If your son wasn't born dead, he probably would have died at their hands, accidental or no."

Ashley's face was murderous. "How dare you-"

"You know it's true."

"I won't hesitate to kill you, Ministry or no. You have five seconds to leave. Four, three, two-"

Moody Apparated away, and Ashley was left fuming.


	17. Chapter 17: An Eye For an Eye

Damien sat back against the wall over looking the whole of London. To his right, a young woman with short brown hair named Siren and to his left was Ryan, puffing away at a cigarette. When he finished it, he chucked it out to the wind, watching it fall 30 stories to the ground floor. Big Ben struck its bells for two in the morning. Ryan turned to the others and pointed, "K, kids. Break time's over. Time to go to work." Siren leaned forward, taking a swan dive off of the ledge. Damien watched as Ryan followed, then he himself jumped off without regard for his health. Thirty stories came by quickly and the ground soon stopped moving as the three shifted and landed with a soft thud. Damien led the team through the empty streets, seeking their prey.

Spells whizzed by his head, and Allister returned plenty of his own. His breath came in ragged pants as he sought cover. He tripped suddenly, over a body. Cathy, the fine young Auror...dead. As were his other two partners. And he had no time to call for backup. The Anti-Apparition spell kept him from Apparating away. And he was outnumbered by five Death Eaters.

"Merlin, help me," he breathed, regaining his footing as he attempted to run beyond the borders of the Anti-Apparition spell. There were no Muggles nearby, thanks to the spell that kept them away. Sometimes, he had to give the Death Eaters some credit. They weren't stupid. And their new master, Lord Voldemort, was no dummy either. He had suddenly risen to power recently, and Moody could understand why. The man was cruel, and had begun sowing terror amongst the Wizarding World. He had only just become the top of the Ministry's priority list the past week, however.

Allister ran as fast as he could, trying to get away, but he was cut off by a stray spell. "Go to hell, bastards," he snarled, firing several jinxes.

The sounds of spells firing off made Damien change directions and break into a sprint. He followed the sounds of these Death Eaters, hired to find them and their leader. The shadows started to move as they chased after their target, making the team split. Damien drew a short knife, quietly sneaking up on one of the attackers and dragging him back to the darkness. Another passed by him, but he was busy disposing of the body to chase at the moment. He looked up and got an all clear from his team to continue ahead.

He was certain that the Death Eaters were dwindling. First five, then four, then three, then two. Finally, he found himself in a dead end, with no way out but through the remaining Death Eater, who had lost his mask. "I know you," Allister spat. "Dolohov." The man chuckled, Summoning his mask.

"Moody," he chuckled darkly. "All alone, no way out. I have no idea where my companions went, but I'm sure they'll join us in a moment."

"Not if I kill you first," Allister said, flinging a jelly-legs jinx. It missed, and Dolohov laughed.

"Crucio!" Allister barely dodged the curse. Another Death Eater caught up with Dolohov, pointing his wand towards Moody, firing off another Cruciatus curse. Laughing the man bowed down in pain he released him from the spell and kicked him in the head hard. "Where are the others?"

"they're on they're way. Don't worry about them! Lets have fun with this one in the mean time." Damien had caught up with the remaining Death Eaters, watching as the tortured some poor bloke to death. Ryan whistled lowly to get his teams attention, passing Damien a black robe and mask, "pass off for one of them. We'll interrogate this one."

Damien didn't need to be told twice as he slipped on the cloak and mask, jogging towards the torturing menaces. One of them turned around, "Where have you been?"

"got attacked. Something pulled the others into the shadows..."

"wait a second. I recognize that voice." The man quickly fired a revealing spell, sending the cloak and mask flying away. Damien wasted no time in striking as he brought his elbow up to knock off the attackers mask. When he looked up it was Aaron. Dolohov kept on going towards Moody as Aaron fired off a jinx to stop Damien, but Damien shifted away into the shadows, to not be seen.

Moody felt the after effects of the curse, but it didn't stop him from recognizing two more people. Aaron Selwyn was a Death Eater, and...Damien Kelmore. "Kelmore!" he called weakly, dodging a Killing Curse. "Help me!" Another Cruciatus curse landed, courtesy of Aaron, who sneered.

"Oh yes, Damien. Come. Help this poor bastard. I heard about what he tried to do to your wife...And I knew she would be too stubborn. That's the sign of a true Selwyn..."

Moody stiffened. "Stay out of this, Selwyn," he managed to snap.

"AARON! Stop this now!"

He watched as Moody was being tortured, remembering his constant pestering during his son's funeral. He started to come out from the shadows, but something grabbed at his heart. A hatred that seemed to just overwhelm Damien because it took his wife's job and his patience. He stepped out of the shadows, sheathing his weapon, backing away, still facing the three.

Moody looked up in relief. But relief turned to confusion as Damien remained where he was, unmoving and cold. It was then that he understood; the Alchemist was going to do nothing. "I was right," he snarled. "You all are cold, murderous dogs. You'd rather hold a grudge and watch a murder than forgive past sins. Tell me, do you have past sins? Does your wife forgive them? Maybe she shouldn't. You sure don't."

"Oh shut up," Aaron said, rolling his eyes. He motioned to Dolohov, who approached Moody, quickly disarming him, to Allister's dismay. Then, as Dolohov held him, Aaron strode forward, producing a silver dagger. "You took my sister's job, and dishonored her son," he hissed, holding up the dagger. "Now it's your turn to feel pain." He laughed coldly, as he took the dagger and slashed it across Moody's chest.

Allister howled in pain as his chest blossomed with blood, and he howled even louder as the dagger again struck, this time slashing across his face cruelly. He felt blinding pain in one eye, and he fell to the ground, clutching at his face and chest. "Crucio," Aaron smirked, his very stance cruel and uncaring. "I'm going to kill you while Damien stands by and does nothing...any last words?"

Moody spat at him, a brave, if foolish gesture. "You don't deserve to know Ashley," he snarled. "I regret what I had to do, but I was under orders. Just like you all are. How many times have you gone against what you wanted in order to obey your commanding officer? Ashley at least went against orders, to display her love and affection, which you don't deserve, Kelmore. She was braver than you. All of you." His face dropped. "Tell Ashley I'm sorry." He looked back up at Aaron in defiance, as the latter raised the dagger again.

Damien watched feeling some justice done, though the pain that grabbed him now told him to act. He snapped his fingers, setting Aaron's cloak on fire, charging on as fast as he could. Dolohov tried shooting off a stunning spell but it missed and hit Aaron instead. Damien grabbed Moody and shifted away to his team. He glared at Damien with the one eye he could still see out of, though it was weak. "Bastard," he hissed painfully, before his face contorted with agony. "Can't...see...breathe..." Blood began to bubble from his mouth as the wound in his chest began to sap his strength.

It took a moment for Ryan and Siren to realize that Damien had come back. He waved a signal then shifted once again as far as he could, dropping Moody onto the floor to tend to his gaping chest wound, "stupid fool, Moody!"

Moody howled in pain as Damien dropped him. "Your fault...I'm like this...trying to get me killed?" His good eye rolled back in his head once, as he tried to stay awake. He couldn't go to sleep...or he might not wake up. Had to stay awake... "no you idiot... You went there to get killed, I just wanted some justice. An eye for an "eye" one could say." He made snide emphasis on eye as he brought out some cloth to cover the wound so he could seal it properly.

"I didn't go there trying to get killed," Moody spat. "I was trying to keep the likes of them from murdering innocent people. Their master hates Muggles and Muggleborns, and he has sworn an oath to revive Wizarding purity. If I recall correctly, you're Muggleborn yourself. You're lucky Selwyn hasn't betrayed you. Yet."

He winced at the word eye, his good eye showing hatred. "I never stole anything from you. Now my eye is gone, thanks to you." He grunted. "Either seal the wound or take me to St. Mungo's. Either way, I will not be grateful to you, for you caused it."

"You stole from my wife... and tried to steal me from her. Then you ruined my son's funeral, so I will call that equal. Lets get you to St. Mungo's." He grabbed more bandages to wrap around the man's head to keep his eye from falling out of his head. He looked over his work, slightly satisfied and bitter before Apparating the both of them to St. Mungo's Emergency ward, where he yelled for help.

Moody just pushed his hand away. "Fine, we're equal. Now don't touch me." He glared at Damien bitterly, as a Medi-witch ran over. "I think I've lost an eye," he said curtly, and the woman gasped.

"We have a spare room ready. The doctor should look at that right away. It doesn't look good. What were you doing?"

"Auror business," Moody said gruffly. "I dropped my guard for a few moments, then got attacked by Death Eaters. One of them slashed me across the face with a dagger before he stopped him." He jabbed a thumb at Damien, as the nurse guided him towards the room.

Damien Apparated from St. Mungo's, know Moody would be safe there. He would have to rendezvous with his team later... Now he needed to talk to Ash. After a moment of catching his breath, he strode into the house, looking around to make sure all was safe. He caught a glimpse of something moving outside in the shadows, making him move faster to get to the bedroom, "Ash! WAKE UP! We need to go sweetheart."

Ashley jerked awake. Something was wrong. Damien rarely had that slightly panicked tone. She bolted out of bed, roughly finger-combing her hair out of her eyes, as she quickly threw on some jeans, a t-shirt, and hooded jacket. "What is it?" she called worriedly, only stopping to grab some of his clothes and some of her own and shove them into a duffel bag, before grabbing an old locket of hers and throwing it in too. She rushed downstairs, nearly running into Damien. "Honey, what's wrong?" she asked in a near-whisper, brow furrowed.

He pulled her close and down to the floor to dodge a flying curse. Several more came towards the couple but Damien reflected them. A stern voice yelled out in anger, "you fools! If you hit my sister I will kill you!"

"she's a blood betrayer, Selwyn. She must be punished with him."

Damien dropped down to the floor, "Death Eaters, they're here."

Ashley shrieked in surprise. "Death Eaters? But that was Aaron..." Her eyes widened, then darkened. "He led them here...that betrayer led them here! Protego!" She shielded them from a cutting hex, before turning sharply to Damien. "Let's get out of here...before I go looking for him," she said through gritted teeth.

Damien mumbled something resembling agreement, he tried to Apparate, but it was like a cage had been put around him, "crap! He mush have put up an anti-apparition spell." The shouting of a spell drew Damien's attention to the side door, "Indictus Arcanum!" Damien looked mortified, snapping his fingers to get some form of alchemy to work, but no responses were made, "alchemy suppression zone. I don't have powers."

Ashley's flashed with fear and anger. "No magic or alchemy..." A determined look came into her eyes, and she dodged spells to get to the couch. She reached under, and grabbed two daggers. "I've hidden these all over the house. Thought they might come in handy one day. Auror training mandates you keep a non-magical weapon with you at all times, but most forget they have then." She handed a dagger to Damien, a grim smile on her lips. "We've got to get beyond those spells."

"I knew you'd have a back up... I'll be better at drawing their fire and attacking with these, than you would. Stay low will you and stay out of sight until you have a clear path out. Keep those, I've got mine." He drew a curved blade from a back holster and moved around to the couch to avoid the salvo of spells. He headed for the kitchen where a surprised holler was replaced by the gurgling of a man's death throes. A second scream was muffled as Damien methodically cleared the way for her, "Ash, now!"

Ashley knew now was not the time to protest her ability to take care of herself. He'd hear about that later. She dashed into the kitchen after Damien when he called for her, ignoring the bodies on the ground. She raced for the door out of the kitchen, when it opened.

Without a second thought, her daggers flashed, and the man fell, clutching his torn throat. "Come on!" Ashley cried, running out of the door. A stunner flashed by her head, and she ducked, hearing a familiar chuckle. Aaron. "Damien, let's go!"

"You aren't going anywhere," Aaron said coldly. "Time to take back my sister."

"head for the forest! I've got an idea" he threw his sword at one of the Death Eaters, narrowly missing him. Once the couple reached the forest line, Damien felt a bit more confident. "Ash behind me and hold on." He raise his arms in fluid pattern as he was just outside of the suppression zone. The water from the falls up ahead churned and raised as a wave of water higher than the trees quickly bore over them, "hang on!"

Ashley ran for the forest, feeling the shift in magic as she passed the magic-suppressing wards, and she fired a shielding spell as Aaron shot a stunner at them. She then grabbed onto Damien's arm tightly, bracing herself.

The sounds of rushing water roared violently behind them, forcing the Death Eaters to stop. The monstrous tidal wave washed over the couple, leaving them unaffected, though it barreled towards Aaron and the rest of them.

As soon as he saw the rush of water coming towards him, Aaron yelled, "Headquarters!" before Apparating away. He was followed by a few of the Death Eaters, those not dead or washed away because they were too slow to react.

Ashley was left clinging to Damien's arm angrily. "My own brother...betrayed us...I hate him!" she whispered, a tear running down her cheek. "And a Death Eater...I can't believe it..."

"I understand Ash, but we need to go. I'll take you to my father's house." he waved a hand and sent all the water back to the pond, "you'll be safe there."

Ashley grimaced, then her brow furrowed. "Where are you going? Won't you be staying?" Her eyes flashed. "Damien Kelmore, you will not dump me off at your parents' house then go traipsing off without me! I can take care of myself, you know! I wasn't an Auror for nothing!"

He shook his head, "no, I just need to get a hold of a few people. I would not leave you alone to go off on my own and you know that. Just trust me and meet me there. "

Ashley relaxed. "I just worry about you," she said softly, kissing him just as softly. "I'll meet you there." She glanced at the house, where the duffel bag she'd grabbed still lay, then dismissed it. There was nothing of value there. The locket no longer meant anything to her, not after Aaron's betrayal. With a sigh, she Apparated, reappearing outside of Damien's parents' house. Mrs. Kelmore saw her from the window and ran out.

"What happened? Where's Damien?" she demanded anxiously. Ashley looked down at the bloody dagger she still held, sighing.

"He's fine. Just doing some damage control. We were attacked."

"I thought your house was safe..."

"Aaron betrayed us." Mrs. Kelmore took in Ashley's angry words, and her face grew sympathetic.

"Well, come in then, dear."


	18. Chapter 18: An Unexpected Surprise

**((Hello readers and fellow writers! Hopefully you are enjoying the story thus far. I've finally had a chance to get some editing done while waiting for people to come and do stuff. I must say though, I'm sorry that the chapters are a little short, but what can I do about it other than add a little content to it. Please please please! Tell me what you guys think! I would love to hear your thoughts. As always, favorites and follows are nice and please, tell your friends!))**

It couldn't be.

She stared at the little stick. Positive. Memories surrounded her, and for a moment, she felt sick. This couldn't be happening again...she couldn't take it again...but what if this time was successful?

Ashley thought back, to a few years before, when she and Damien had lost their first child, Tristan Aaron, before he'd even been born. What if she lost this one? Maybe she shouldn't tell Damien...magic could hide pregnancy, right?

Who was she kidding? They'd been trying to have a baby since last year, but to no avail. Now, they'd succeeded, and she was pregnant again. Ashley's fought the urge to cry, as she stood, throwing away the test, and leaving the bathroom. "Damien?" she called in a shaky voice. "Are you home?" Hopefully he hadn't left for work yet...she had to tell him. Before she lost the nerve.

Damien looked up to the staircase, "Yes, dear? I'm still getting ready to go. What's going on everything ok?"

Ashley came downstairs, clutching desperately at the railing. "Damien," she said in a hoarse whisper. "It's happening again...I'm...I'm pregnant..." Her face was pale, as she was forced to sit down weakly. It couldn't happen again...what if she lost it again?

Damien looked up with both surprise and pain. The wound that had once closed over belonging to their late son split open again and he wasn't sure if he could handle another loss, "you sure? We can go to the hospital to find out."

Ashley nodded. "I'm sure, but I want to go to the hospital, just to double check," she whispered. "Oh Damien, I'm so scared...I can't lose this one...I can't...it would kill me!" Tears formed in her eyes, but she held them back. We won't, love. I promise you. I'll go with you, but I will need to report in first. Would you like to go to the muggle hospital we went to or just to St. Mungo's?" He said, holding her hand with a reassuring smile.

Ashley nodded once, in answer to his necessity to check in with his superiors. "I want to go to St. Mungo's," she murmured. "I will not repeat last time...St. Mungo's is the best place to go anyways, if there's anything wrong..." She clutched at her stomach absent-mindedly.

"Nothing will be wrong my dear. We won't lose this one like we lost Tristan. I'll see you there ok?" he pecked her lips and Apparated.

Ashley sighed, before heading back upstairs to change from her pajamas. Minutes later, she was Apparating to St. Mungo's, wondering if Apparition was okay for the baby. She quickly set up an appointment, then sat down to wait for Damien.

It only took a few minutes to explain to his commanding officer the situation. He knew how worried the couple would be after the loss of their first baby. After getting clearance, Damien went home to change into some more comfortable civilian clothes, then went straight to St. Mungo's, looking for Ashley.

Just as Ashley heard her name being called, Damien arrived. She stood catching his attention, then slipping her hand into his once he reached her. Then she was ready. The Medi-witch led them into a small room, and said, "The doctor will be right in. Please, sit."

Ashley did as she was told, sinking into one of the trio of chairs. Eventually, the doctor walked in, a middle-aged man with a bright, reassuring smile. "Hello, Ashley, Damien. I understand you want to test for pregnancy today? Is this your first pregnancy?"

Damien sat down. With Ash looking around the eerily white room. Once the doctor came in, it felt a touch less like a hospital and more like an interrogation room to him. "No sir... She has been before. We lost..." he choked up thinking of Tristan. "She had a miscarriage a few years ago."

Ashley reached out to take Damien's hand, half out of a desire to comfort him, half out of a need for comfort. The doctor looked sympathetic. "Unfortunately, miscarriages are quite common. It's a shame really, when couples are so excited about the prospect of a child...well, so you probably know the general stuff about pregnancy. What to look for, what to eat or not eat, that sort of stuff?"

Ashley nodded. "I still remember the things I was told," she said softly. The doctor nodded.

"Alrighty then. Let's get you tested." Ashley held Damien's hand tighter as the doctor waved his wand across her stomach, before smiling. "Yes. You are indeed pregnant, Mrs. Kelmore. And as far as I can tell, the baby is doing just fine. I'm surprised you didn't notice until now though. You're about two months along."

Ashley looked sheepish. "I guess I just didn't notice," she laughed weakly. So she was pregnant. She wasn't sure whether she should shriek with excitement, or cry. To be sure, she was happy about it, but she was also terrified. The doctor seemed to sense this.

"I can understand your nervousness, Mrs. Kelmore. But worrying isn't good for the baby. Just relax, and tell yourself happy things. As long as you stay on track with things, and visit regularly, you should have a healthy baby in seven months." He smiled, as Ashley relaxed slightly. "Now, Mr. Kelmore, just as a reminder: your wife will show signs of exhaustion as the months pass. So don't be alarmed, but do make sure she rests. And remember that no matter how crazy the cravings or mood swings, it's all normal. So if she snaps at you, blame it on the pregnancy." Ashley smirked as the doctor laughed, and she felt happier now.

"I'm pregnant," she said softly, touching her stomach. How could she not have known? Shouldn't the firming skin of her belly have indicated it? Of course, she wasn't showing yet...so it made sense.

Damien felt relief flow through him, Ashley was truly pregnant and he was to be a father again. A thought struck him in the back of the head, "wait... Is it too early to tell what we're having?"

The doctor thought for a moment. "It won't be too clear, but chances are, we might be able to tell...let's see. Could you lie back on the cot and roll up your shirt please?" Ashley did as she was told, baring her stomach. The doctor touched his wand to her stomach, before pointing it at the wall, murmuring a spell. A small picture appeared on the wall, in black and white. Ashley gasped and her eyes softened as she saw their baby. It was small, but it was a baby.

"It looks like it's...a boy," the doctor declared. "And a fine, healthy baby he is. You must be thrilled." He smiled, as Ashley continued to gaze at the picture.

"Our son..." she murmured happily.

Some Months Later

Damien had finished making the strange dish that was requested by his wife, one that looked almost nauseating. He held the plate away from him as he brought the dish to her on a tray with a glass of lemonade.

Ashley looked up from where she was propped up by pillows, her stomach distended by five months of pregnancy. "Yum," she said happily., "Thanks, honey...don't know why, but fish with mustard and chocolate just appealed to me all of a sudden." Her face grew worried. "You don't think it'll make me fat, do you?" She glanced at her stomach. "I'm already fat as it is..."

He chuckled a little at her question, knowing that it could be a death trap to answer it, though he couldn't deny his wife. He sat down on the floor in front of her and rubbed her stomach, "firstly, no. It won't make you fat, though, it looks and smells horrible and secondly, you aren't fat. You're just pregnant. Baby doesn't count as fat lovey; just counts as a baby." He felt a bit smug inside, feeling that he treaded pretty gently with that.

Ashley looked offended. "Oh, so now my food's horrible, is it?" she snapped. Her eyes welled with tears. "I knew it...I knew it was because I was gaining weight...now you're just going to look for stuff to rib me on..." She burst into tears, sobbing for a few moments, before she relaxed. "Fine, you can be that way. I'll lose weight," she pouted. "Then you'll love me again."

Damien threw his hands up in defeat, "Ash! I never said that. You aren't fat and I have always loved you. I love you now, so please stop crying. I'm sorry if you thought I was calling you fat."

Ashley looked miserable. "Now you're yelling at me," she muttered.

"I'm just making a statement! If I'm not fat, then why don't any of my old clothes fit? Hm?" Her face suddenly screwed up in annoyance. "Damn hormones," she muttered again. "Making me unsure of my own emotions..."

Damien laughed a little, "I wasn't yelling. I'm trying to get you to calm down. Remember, it's the baby's fault your hormones are all wonky. When they get old enough to understand, we'll blame it on them some more." He cupped her face with his palms and kissed her, "it'll be ok. Just eat you mustard choco-fish."

Ashley chuckled a little, sighing. "Technically, it's your fault I'm this way," she said teasingly. "I didn't get pregnant on my own, you know." She winked, before looking down at the food. "I don't want this anymore..." She peeked up at him. "Just kidding! Thanks. You take such good care of me..." She smiled softly, before taking a bite. "Yum," she murmured. "Want some?"

Damien shook his head, "I think I'll pass on the food, thanks. You know you could have gotten knocked up on your own... virgin birth as they call it." He laid his head down on her belly, listening to the baby move around in her stomach as she ate such a strange meal, "this child must really like weird food. Definitely our son alright."

Ashley snorted. "Please, that sort of thing doesn't happen often." She wouldn't admit it, but she loved it when Damien would just sit and listen to their baby. She felt safe and content when he did. "Hey," she said in mock affront. "You like weird food more than I do. He's definitely your son." She laughed, quieting down and chewing another bite. She swallowed. "What should we name him?" she asked after a moment.

"I honestly don't know... I've always liked the name Samael but I'm not sure though. What were you thinking of?" He said as he poked his finger into her belly button.

Ashley thought for a moment, giggling as he poked her belly button. "Stop, that tickles," she complained. "I like Samael...um...What about James? Or Nikolas?"

He blew raspberries into her belly button, "I'm not trying to tickle you, I'm tickling the baby, but if you insist. I like Nikolas."

Ashley laughed. "Silly, he can't feel you, only I can." She put a finger under his chin, raising his head up as she leaned down as best as she could to kiss him gently. "I love you," she said softly. "I think we can go with Samael Nikolas or something like that...but I do like Samael as a name."

Delivery Day…

It wouldn't be long now, the doctors said. Her water had broken about six hours before, and the contractions were following on the heels of each other. Ashley groaned in pain, as the doctor felt her belly gingerly. "Here we go," he called. The two nurses helping hurried to do their jobs, as the doctor looked at Ashley. "Now, push!" he ordered. Ashley tried pushing, wishing she could be numbed. She couldn't though, for fear of being too numb to give birth. She cried out as pain ripped through her.

"Keep pushing!"

"I'm trying, damnit!" The doctor chuckled.

"Good. Keep up the spirit."

Ashley cried out again as she pushed again. "Doctor, we have a problem," the nurse called worriedly. The doctor looked up.

"What is it?"

"I have visual of a foot. This baby's breach."

The doctor cursed. "Keep her calm," he ordered, switching places with the nurse. "I'm going to try to turn it around." Ashley screamed this time, as he began maneuvering the baby. Each moment was more agony for her. "Got it!" the doctor said at last. "Keep pushing, Ashley. You're almost there...let's get Damien in here so he can take his son." For indeed, little Samael was nearly out.

The doctor frowned. "Contractions are continuing," he said suddenly. "We've got another baby in here!" Ashley stiffened in surprise, then showed she regretted it by screaming again. "Nurse, call for backup. We have another breach baby. This one's going to be difficult. Hold on, Ashley...don't push..."

"I'm not," she gasped out. "It's...doing it's own...thing...aaah!" The doctor grasped her leg roughly, slightly panicked.

"No! Don't push! Nurse, backup now!"

Another doctor and two more nurses arrived within minutes. They began reading out stats and vitals, or calling out instructions. Soon, the first doctor cheered. "We have it turned! Hold on, Ashley..."

Two minutes later, a baby girl was born. The victory was short-lived, however. "Ashley, stay with us," the nurse called worriedly. "Ashley? Doctor, beginning CPR. Patient not breathing." Immediately, the woman began administering CPR, but to no avail. On the heart monitor, the beeping sped up, then slowed, fading to a long whine, then again beeping. "Doctor, we're losing her..."

The beeping alternated between a whine and the erratic beeping as Ashley fought for life. The two doctors scrambled around, trying to keep her sustained. One nurse left to go get Damien, having forgotten to get him when Samael had been born. Now, it might be his last chance to see his wife.

"Mr. Kelmore? You'd better come quick...something went wrong with the delivery...your wife had twins, and both were breach before we managed to turn them. But your wife...we're doing everything we can, but we're losing her."

Damien shot up from his chair as soon as the nurse got there, ready to shoot off questions, but the woman frantically spilled out before him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, so he quickly bolted through the door, knocking over a poor intern just minding her own business. He almost kicked the door in as he entered, being handed a baby, a little girl. Damien gave the girl one look as he rushed to Ashley's side and handed her back to the nurse. He gave her a shake, then a slap, watching as the main doctor was trying to do everything he could to bring her back. Finally he held out a hand to stop the doctors, reaching for his daughter again. He held her in his arms and leaned down to whisper to Ashley, "Ash... Don't you dare die you stubborn witch. You didn't deal with nine months of pregnancy and a few hours of pain to give up like this. I swear to the gods, Ash, I will never forgive you... Never. You promised you would never leave me and right here, you're breaking that very promise. You're too.. You're too damn stubborn to die Ash. Look at her, LOOK! She's gorgeous... And our son..." He handed back the baby and leaned in to kiss her, letting a few teardrops fall from height.

Ashley felt numb at this point. Sucking air into her lungs was difficult. She wanted to chase them all away; she was tired and they were keeping her awake. But someone suddenly slapped her and shook her. Ashley groaned in protest, her eyes rolling back in her head. She vaguely heard Damien's voice and focused on it as it became clearer.

She had promised...and she was breaking that promise...she had to live...had to live.

With a soft breath of air, Ashley opened her eyes slowly. Something wet had splashed onto her cheek.

Tears.

With a soft smile, she raised a hand to Damien's cheek, wiping away the tears that fell. "I'm not going to die yet," she whispered, as the doctors rushed around checking her reviving vitals. "I wouldn't leave you or our children..."

Damien tried to stifle his tears, but not really with enough effort to care. He held her hand, giving her another kiss, making the doctor clear his throat. "You have to see the babies... I can't believe it. Twins!"

"What will you name them sir?"

"The boy we were going the name Samael Nikolas." He had a moment of pause, trying to think of something that sounded good, "Ashley Faith. What do you think Ash?"

Ashley kissed him softly, then lifted her head weakly. "If we named her after me, we'll have to call her by her middle name," she laughed. "But Ashley Faith sounds pretty. I want to see them."

The nurse handed over Samael to Ashley, then Faith to Damien, leaving the room to attend to other duties. Damien kicked a chair over to by his wife. "Look, she's got your eyes. And a grip."

Ashley cradled Samael close to her, looking down at his tiny form, before looking at their daughter. "And he's going to grow up to be a handsome boy like his father," she said happily. "He's got your face."

Samael started wailing, and Ashley assumed he needed to be fed. The nurse leaving the room affirmed it, before leaving. "And he's got your attitude," she teased. "Twins. We wanted a baby and got two...how will we survive?"

"My attitude? Sounds more like yours, Ash," he teased back, fussing with Faith's hands and tiny feet. "We'll survive the way we always have... But we just need to make sure the house is ready for two. The nursery will need to change... Actually, I can just move my office. We'll convert my office into Faith's room."

Ashley nodded thoughtfully. "I think we can keep your office where it is for now," she mused. "It'll be easier to look after them if they share a room until they're older. Then we can change your office into Faith's room." She smiled down at Samael, who was happily feeding, before looking over at Faith. "They're so beautiful," she sighed tiredly. "And very much worth it."


	19. Chapter 19: The Simple Things

_**((I would like to apologize; I just saw that somehow the formatting on chapters 17 and 15 were all screwballed, so I'm working on fixing that, for those who had been reading it and have gotten frustrated with its layout. Sorry. Here's another chapter to entertain you. PLEASE REVIEW AND FOLLOW!))**_

Damien was in the front room sitting on the floor covered with paperwork and books on various subjects from medicine to the Art of War, by Tsun Tsu. Across from him was his 5 year old daughter, Faith with her gorgeous blue eyes and jet black hair. Her brother, Samael had been on the couch with his action figure, taking a nap. Damien sighed with frustration, "gaaaah! This is not making any since to me? How am I supposed to transmute this if I can't use human materials!" he slammed the book shut and rubbed his brow.

Ashley had been putting away freshly washed clothes, and had just come down when she heard Damien's complaint. She entered the room and knelt behind him, one hand gently massaging the back of his neck. "What are you trying to do?" she asked curiously, eyeing the papers.

"I've been trying to learn medical alchemy, but this... Its almost impossible. Human transmutation both illegal and immoral, but the alchemists I have seen use it do it without transmutation. How are they doing it..." he placed a hand on hers and leaned back into the couch, pulling her down into his arms, "i just need a break. All this studying is giving me a migraine."

Ashley allowed herself to be pulled into his lap. "You'll figure it out eventually," she said, kissing his forehead. "In the meantime, try to relax. Stress is never good." She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder, watching Faith as she did her own thing. "Look, she's found my wand," Ashley laughed.

Damien laughed with her up until Faith swished the wand and flicked a ball of fire into the carpet near his books. It took a second for him to realize he could just extinguish it by snapping his fingers, "get the wand before she does it again." he snapped his fingers abd a small portion of the carpet was revealed to be nothing more than a singed mess.

Ashley jumped as Faith set the carpet on fire, and jumped up. She went over to Faith, and gently pried the wand from her fingers, ignoring Faith's wails of protest. "No, sweetie, we don't play with Mommy's wand," she said gently. Faith screeched, successfully waking up Samael too. Ashley sighed. "Faith, you are five years old. Throwing a temper tantrum is not allowed," she said sternly. "Look at Mommy, honey." She waited until Faith looked up, a pout on her face. "Playing with Mommy's wand can be dangerous, okay? Mommy doesn't want you to hurt yourself. So let's find something else to play with."

Faith huffed, getting up and running over to Damien for comfort, as Samael sat up sleepily. Damien chuckled, feeling sorry for the little girl; she really didn't know any better. He crawled to Samael, who looked around in his tired haze. Samael rolled out of his cozy spot on the couch into his father's arms, "come here, kiddo. Your sister is just being fussy, don't mind her. Come here too Faith, you look like you need the cuddles too."

Faith's tears turned to sniffles as she cuddled next to her brother, "well i guess I know which one they like best. Don't cry Faith, mommy is just being proctective. You can't be playing with her wand like that; you aren't old enough to yet."

Ashley scowled good-naturedly. "When it comes to being fed or taken care of after a nasty fall, I know who's their favorite," she laughed. "You're just the favorite 'cause Mommy isn't letting her have her way." She scooted closer to her family, facing them with a smile on her face, her wand safely tucked away. Faith glowered at her, burying her face in Damien's shirt, but Samael gave her a happy wave and a beaming smile. Ashley chuckled, waving back.

"Samael, go to mommy. Looks like your sister just wants me to herself," he said as Faith started trying to push Samael out of Damien's lap. He kissed her forehead as Samael left to Ashley, "She loves me because I dote on her... probably spoiling her too rotten."

"Daddy?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Can I have a cookie?"

Ashley chuckled, letting Samael climb into her lap and kissing the top of his head. "My baby," she said happily, hugging him. Samael protested.

"I'm five, Mommy. I'm a big boy!"

Ashley laughed. "Yes, you are a very big boy. But you'll always be Mommy's baby." She gave Damien a look when Faith asked for a cookie,"Damien, dinner is in an hour..." she said warningly.

Damien played off a mock hurt as she chided him, "I never said I was going to give her one," he said, looking down at his now pouting daughter. He kissed her and whispered to her, "I'll sneak you one after, K. We'll get a cookie past that mean ol' mommy somehow." He looked up with an innocent smile to Ashley, "I love you hunny!"

Ashley knew they were conspiring against her, but she couldn't do much but keep an eye. "Honestly, you'd never know Samael and Faith were twins." She looked down at her son, who was happily playing with his action figure. "You and Faith are more twins, while innocent Samael is more like me." She winked at Samael as he looked up at her.

"I wanna be like Daddy," he said happily. Ashley grinned sheepishly.

"You three are impossible," she sighed. "Fine. Faith, you may have a cookie AFTER dinner, okay?"

"Can I have a cookie too?"

"Not you too, Samael? After dinner you guys. That includes you too, Damien. No cookies until after dinner. I'll just hide them from you until then," she said as she took her wand and gave them a flick. Damien and Faith groaned, knowing that none of them would get it until she released that spell.

(Time Skip)

It was midafternoon when Ashley was fiddling around with some contraption to keep herself occupied. With Damien earning money, she really didn't need to do any work, but she missed her job as an Auror from time to time, putting away the thought of what happened with Moody and the others to keep herself from becoming overly angry. She did however have plenty of work to do, especially with the kids. They kept her constantly busy and always happy, even sometimes when they miss behaved. When they get themselves into trouble, it reminds of when her and her brother used to get along and be happy.

She had been feeling sick for the past week, waking up every morning to throw up and nausea and aching throughout the day. She was desperately searching for relief from these symptoms and so sent an owl to Meghan to have a few potions brought by and help her figure it out. It didn't take too long for her friend to receive the letter and much shorter time for her to swing by with a basket full of potions and sweets for her to try out. Behind her was a short red headed woman sporting more gifts and salves for Ashley's distress.

When Ashley answered the door, she was elated to see them both and welcomed them both with wide arms, "Its so good to see you both! I do believe the last time I saw you, Molly, was at my wedding!"

"Its been a while dear. You seem to be holding up ok. Where's Damien?"

"He's off working somewhere. I trust he'll be home later in the afternoon to see what I'm up to. Either that or an owl telling me what's going on. He's been so good to me since we met. Come on in, just keep it down a little, the kids are having their nap."

Ashley ushered them inside and offered them a seat on the couch, "Can I get you anything?"

"None for me thanks, " replied Molly happily.

"I can get it, Ash. Just sit down. We're here for you," said Meghan as she went to the kitchen to get her own water. She came back, taking a sip from her drink and smiled, "I think Damien needs to come home and be a stay at home father. You've got aspirations of your own."

"I had them. Then the Ministry took it all away, " she said with a twinge of pain running through her, forcing down the thought of that day. She held her head high and took a deep breath, "I was an Auror for at least 2 years before… before we lost Tristan."

Molly gasped, as she hadn't seen Ashley in so long she was left out of the loop. Meghan remembered that day and nodded sadly, "He lives on in those of us who remember him. You and Damien did what was right that day and though you lost your dream job, I do believe everyone was better off the way it turned out. At least you are still alive and you've got two beautiful children to come home to. After what I heard, several Aurors quit after the string of attacks lead by these Death Eaters. Why are the alchemists not doing anything?"

Ashley cocked an eyebrow and shook her head, "The Ministry has its own alchemist faction, or so I've been told by Damien and Ryan."

Molly nodded in agreement, "yes, Arthur has made mention of that before. The militia have been on watch twenty four seven. They're trying to do what they can and its helping, but their main forces weren't enough or something?"

"I honestly have no clue. Could we change to something a little less depressing though… I'm still not feeling well and this conversation isn't making anything better.

Meghan nodded and set the basket down on the table and started rifling through it to find the first potion to give her. She pulled out a teal colored single dose vial and uncorked it for her, "This is a cold and flu potion. This should cure you if you're sick with the flu or a stomach virus or something."

Ashley took one whiff of the potion and gagged, "Oh, Merlin, it smells aweful! Like fish decaying over a decade or something!"

Meghan took a sniff and shrugged, "Smells like wild berries to me. Come on, just take a sip will ya? Plug your nose so you don't smell it."

Ashley did as she was told and gagged as it went down, feeling more nauseous than before. She sat back in her chair and groaned unhappily as her stomach churned angrily at her drinking this potion, "It… didn't help… just made it worse."

Meghan was dumbstruck, as this usually works for her, but since it made it worse, she would need to find a different one. She pulled out a slightly yellow brew and offered it, "this one should help. It's a ginger based stomach potion. Good for indigestion."

Ash didn't bother to smell it this time, only to drink up and hope this did the trick. She felt the discomfort that the first potion was causing go away, but that was it. She sat up weakly and pouted, "it only made that last potion not make me worse…

Molly hummed happily and reached into her bag, pulling out a small green vial and passed it over to Ashley, who uncorked it and took a whiff. It was florally scented with a hint of mulling spices and it was definitely pleasing to smell, "That is a special brew for mother's who are expecting. We shoulda just open up with that and that way we can tell you what's wrong."

Ashley fidgeted in her seat. If she was pregnant, it would definitely be a change around the house. She would need Damien home more often to help out with the children. She took the vial to her lips and allowed the smooth liquid to travel into her stomach and took a deep breath as all of her issues seemed to stop right then and there. She felt happy and revived; so much she could have danced around the house. Then it suddenly hit her… she might be pregnant. She looked up to Molly with a face torn between excitement and fear, "It worked… does that mean..?"

Molly shrugged and drew her wand, "Only one way to find out." She muttered a spell and pressed her wand against Ashley's belly, to which it gleamed a brightened blue. Molly sheathed her wand and smiled, "Good news. You're having a baby!"

Ashley stood up and began to pace around the room, a look of worry and happiness contorting her face as she went through this all in her head, "This is wonderful, but we have had way too many complications in the past! I mean first we were only expecting Samael and we got Faith out of the deal too, then I almost died giving birth to them! What if its another set of twins? I'm not sure we can handle that sort of a family. Damien will have to stop working to help raise the family, I mean, Merlin knows I've…" but she was cut off as Meghan slapped her across the face and sat her down in her chair.

"Get it together woman! You're pregnant, not having to chose between life and death. I'm sure Damien can work things out so he can be home more often. Now take a few deep breaths and I'm sure the three of us can work out a way to tell Damien that…"

"Ash? I'm home," called Damien from the back of the house.

Ashley leaned over her seat and shushed him, "The kids are asleep. Im in the living room. Come here we need to talk."

Damien came into the living room to find Meghan and Molly Weasley in his house, which he gave them both a short nod, "What's up?"

"Well remember how I haven't been feeling well? I figured out why."

Meghan rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, "She's pregnant. You knocked her up once again, Damien."

"What?" was all he could say before he sat down on the couch and stared blankly at Ashley.

(Time Skip)

Damien had been home for the better half of the week, doing paperwork and working on studying still. His office, though a horrifying mess, was still part of his home and he tried to maintain it as such. With Ashley pregnant again, the thought of another little one running around raised his spirits up. She was a few months along and the couple was no longer able to hide the fact that she was getting bigger… and with the kids asking questions, they would have to know sooner or later.

Samael pouted, much to Ashley's annoyance. "Come here," she said with a sigh. Her son shook his head fervently.

"I don't want another baby here," he complained. "Especially not another boy."

Ashley raised an eyebrow at him. "But you'll get to be the big brother! And you'll get to show your brother everything you know..." She shot a pleading glance to Damien for help.

Damien looked up and shrugged, placing a pencil into his daughter's hand, "Samael, don't you like rubbing in the fact that you're older than Faith?" The boy nodded with his pouty look. "well think of it like that. You'll have a little brother you could order around and play roughly with when he gets older."

Ashley gave Damien a look. "We'll see about the ordering around, but at least you'll have a brother to play with. After all, Faith prefers girl things, doesn't she?"

Samael made a face and nodded. "She does girl things. I wish she'd play boy things with me."

"And with a brother, you'll have someone to play with." Ashley smiled as Samael thought for a moment, before his pout slipped slightly.

"Daddy, are you going to love the new boy more than me?" he asked, looking up with large eyes. Damien felt on the spot and gave Ashley a smile, "of course not! I will love you both the same. Just like I love you and Faith the same."

Ashley stifled a giggle at Damien's predicament. "And you will always be my favorite oldest son," she said, successfully averting the trembling lip Samael was beginning to form. "Just like Faith is my favorite twim daughter, and the new baby will be my favorite youngest son." She smiled, as Samael thought for a moment.

"I'll be the only boy with a twin," he said at last. Ashley nodded.

"That's right. That makes you special," she said, winking at Damien.

Damien messed with Samael's hair, moving up to kiss Ashley. He nibbled on her ear a moment, "you're better with boys than me. That's for sure... I can handle Faith, but was I really this hard to handle as a boy?"

Ashley giggled, as he bit her ear gently. "Yes, I'm sure you were worse," she said teasingly. "I know I was an angel, which accounts for..." She glanced at both twins. "Neither of them. They got your limitless energy. And sense of trouble-making." She smirked. "Plus, mothers just have a way of resolving conflicts that you poor fathers can't." She kissed him briefly.

"Faith is an absolute angel! She may have way too much energy, but at least she does as she's told. Samael is so defiant... I wonder where he gets that from?" he poked her belly button, tickling it a little.

Ashley snorted. "I am not defiant!" she protested with a giggle, trying to push his hand from her belly button. "You're just as stubborn and defiant!" She thought for a moment, then relented. "He's got my fighting spirit," she admitted. "But in time, it'll make him a better person. After all, I didn't turn out too horrid, did I?"

"for the sake of keeping you from going off on me, i'll say no." He snickered in reply, moving to listen to the baby. He hoped it would have been a safe zone to keep himself clear of any violence Ashley thwacked him on the top of his head gently, but she did relent. "Fine. I'm a horrid person. Hence the reason why I am carrying your next son," she said with a grin. "If it weren't for the fact that my babies need their daddy, you'd be out of the house, mister. Even if it is your house." She kissed his head where she had smacked him, running her hands through his hair softly.

He laughed with her, rubbing her hand as it combed through his hair, "i love you Ash."

Damien and Ashley had both prepared for this day to come. They both had kept track of ever doctors visit, what she ate and had to make doubly sure that there would be no surprises the day their baby was born. They decided upon a name, Alexander Marcus, which made Samael a little jealous. It took a little explaining to him that Samael was a very strong name. Ashley's water broke early morning, to which Damien sent for his parents to come and watch over the children while they went over to St. Mungo's. Once they woke up, his mother would make sure they got fed and dressed so they could wait and see their new brother.

Several hours later

Damien was insistent that he stayed by Ashley's side the entire time, and this they allowed begrudgingly as he threatened to destroy the place. He didn't want her to be alone. He wanted to be there for her for every moment as she needed him… though she wasn't feeling that way.

She grabbed him by the collar, almost choking him, as she pulled him in closer, "I swear Damien… we are not doing this again. As much as I love my children, we are not going to do this again! Aye OOWWWW!"

"You need to breath Mrs. Kelmore."

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK I'M DOING! DAMIEN, TELL YOUR SON TO COME OUT RIGHT NOW OR I SWEAR HE'LL BE GROUND UNTIL HE'S TWELVE!"

It wasn't long afterwards that Alexander was born. No complications and no risk to anyone's life… except Damien's, who needed to have a Medi-witch look after some clawing marks that he took from holding onto Ashley's hand while she was giving birth. It was a good day though…


	20. Chapter 20:A Day, A Lifetime

_**((I would like to thank all the readers who have kept up once again, your views and comments have been welcomed, even the more critical ones. The critisms help me as a writer improve on things I should better. So please, if you've got any feedback, please don't hesitate to post it here on . You can also post them on the respective forum pages that I've created to advertise this fic! As always please favorite/follow as it does help me out by giving me the morale boost I need to keep up with editing this series. I know I may take some time to finish the edits, but as promised a few chapters back, I will try and post at least once a week. On behalf of Night and of course myself, thanks for reading!))**_

Damien was in his office, working on paperwork when Faith ran into the room with her picture in hand, "Daddy, daddy! Look, I drew a picture of all of us! There's Samael and you and mommy and Xander. I drew him a bit bigger since he's a baby." Damien took off his reading glasses and set them on the table along with his quill. He turned in his chair and offered to pick her up.

"Come here, baby girl. Let me see this picture."

The little girl handed off the picture, looking up to her father and played with a tendril of whitish greying hair, "daddy? Why is mine, Samael's and your hair white, but not mum's?"

"It's a long story, but I'll try and keep it short. It's a Kelmore Family gene. Its just in our blood that our hair is white from the day we are born. As we get old, our hair starts to go black, where in normal people like your mum and Granma, they get white as they grow old. Grandpa has his hair kinda black doesn't he?"

She nodded happily, enjoying the learning lesson.

"This drawing is really good! You've got some talent there. Where's you're brother?"

"Downstairs, drawing stuff."

"Not on the walls again, right?"

"Of course not!"

"Well, let's go see how mommy is feeling and we might just go out to the zoo or something, how's that sound?"

Ashley had just woken Xander up from his nap, not wanting him to sleep all day, and had reseated herself on the couch with him when Faith came bounding down the stairs, followed by the sound of footsteps that signaled the approach of her husband. "Mommy, Daddy said we might be able to go to the zoo!" Faith called excitedly.

Ashley chuckled. "Is that so?" she asked, pulling her hair away from Xander's grip.

"Yeah. Is Mommy feeling good today? Can we go to the zoo? Pleeease?"

Ashley looked down into her daughter's hopeful eyes, and she sighed. "I guess we might as well," she said with a small smile. "But only for a few hours. Mommy's exhausted, sweetie. Plus, I have to get dinner ready later. You want to eat dinner, right?"

Faith wrinkled her nose. "I'd rather stay at the zoo," she pouted. "I want to live with the animals!"

"Now Effie... Your mother makes great food. Would you at least stay every now and again for that?" the little girl nodded with a grin and clamped onto her father's leg before running upstairs to get stuff ready to go. Damien, sat down on the floor next to Ashley with his head against her knees, "Ash, are you ok? You've been kind of lethargic lately? Haven't really done much but stay inside... Maybe you and I should go out and have my mother and father take them to the zoo? It's been a while since our last date in the forest and I'm sure due up for one."

Ashley sighed, leaning her head back against the back of the couch as Xander rested against her chest. "I don't know...I've just been so tired. And it's not like I'm doing a whole lot...maybe it's 'cause we haven't had much time to ourselves. I guess having three kids is tiring." She chuckled. "I like that idea. Pawn the kids off on your parents. Your mom adores it when we let her baby them for a while. Besides, I admit my selfishness. I just want some 'us' time." She used her free hand to lightly stroke at Damien's hair.

Damien nuzzled and waved a hand, bringing the phone over. He started to dial out as he looked up to his wife, "I understand, love. We need a break from the kids and just recuperate for a bit." his mother answered the phone on the other end, "hi mom? Its Damien... Would you and dad mind taking the kids to the zoo? Ash and I are just in need of a break for the day and we know you love them enough to do it. (Break) Of course, we'll be by in about half hour to bring them over. See you then."

He hung up the phone and looked up to Xander, who seemed entertained with grabbing at his hair since his mother kept yanking hers away. Damien took Xander in hand, not caring that the baby had latched onto his hair with his tiny hands. He stood up as Ashley swayed and looked concerned, "Ash? Are you ok? I think you better sit down; I can get the stuff together.

Ashley leaned against the back of the couch for a moment before answering. "Yes, I'm fine," she sighed, straightening. "Just got really dizzy for a moment. Really weird. Are you sure you don't mind? You've got to remember to get Xander's nappies and formula, and everything else, and make sure Faith is wearing proper shoes for the zoo. And remind Samael to brush his hair..." She chuckled a little bit. "No son of mine will be going around with crazy hair...not while I can help it."

He nodded and kissed her forehead, "I'll take care of it all. Don't worry about... Samael will have his hair looking spiffy." Damien ran upstairs and poked his head into his room, "Samael, your mom wants you to comb your hair, you're all going out to the zoo with Granma and Grandpa. Effie, put on your shoes." he went into Xander's room and started picking out all the things they needed for the trip with the little boy pulling on his hair.

After sitting for a moment, Ashley stood, grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen on her way up the stairs. She made her way into their bedroom, finally arriving in the bathroom, where she retrieved a Muggle pill bottle. Maybe if she took an aspirin she'd be better. It was probably just some 24-hour thing. No reason to fret. Ashley quickly swallowed the pill, and gulped down the water, before going to the closet to look for something to wear."

It wasn't long before Faith flew down the stairs and started jumping on the couch, "Daddy! I'm ready!" Samael followed soon after, though with some reluctance, "mom? Why do I have to comb my hair! It looks stupid."

Ashley emerged from the bedroom. "You look fine," she assured Samael. "And it doesn't look stupid...you look like a respectable Kelmore boy. You don't want to look like your dad did when he was in school, do you?" She chuckled as Samael nodded vigorously.

"I want to be just like Dad!"

"Well, I think you can be just like him, only with neater hair."

"But I hate having neat hair!"

"Pretty girls like it when boys have neat hair."

Samael's grin was sly. "But you're pretty, and you like Daddy, right?" Ashley sighed, knowing where the conversation was going.

"Yes..."

"And Daddy has messy hair sometimes, and he had messy hair when he was in school, right?"

"Sometimes..."

"So maybe I'll meet a pretty girl who likes me, with my messy hair."

"Alright. I'll go find you a pretty girl right now..."

Samael's eyes widened. "No! Girls have cooties! I don't want a pretty girl right now!"

"Then brush your hair."

"No!"

"Brush it!"

Samael pouted, and shook his head. Ashley rolled her eyes and laughed. "Come here, you..."

Within moments, she had successfully claimed the brush, and was smoothing down Samael's hair, to the boy's annoyance. "Alright, Mom, that's good!" he whined.

Damien ran downstairs with the baby bag and handed it off to Faith whole gave him a questioning look, "daddy, do I need to brush my hair?"

"No dear; fortunately for you, you were blessed with your mother's hair. Unfortunately for your brother, he has mine. We can pinup your hair if you like?"

Ashley chuckled at the incredulous look on Samael's face. "I wish I had Mom's hair, then I'd never have to brush it," he sighed. Ashley poked his shoulder gently.

"Then you would look like a girl," she teased.

"Mom! You know what I mean..."

She merely chuckled, and finished smoothing down his hair. "There. Now my handsome boy can go to the zoo. You look presentable now."

Damien looked up to the balcony, "Samael, come on. Gotta go to Granma's and Grandpa's house."

Samael hugged her tightly, and gave her a kiss on the cheek, before saying, "Bye, Mom! Coming, Dad!"

Ashley followed him downstairs, giving Damien a peck on the cheek. "I'm going to get dressed for later. Any ideas on where we're going, so I know whether to dress nicely or casually?"

"Dress casually. Probably going to just go to out to dinner, maybe sit by our tree and gaze up at the sky for a while... We'll figure it out later. Come on, guys. Time to go." He motioned to Faith to grab onto his leg as he lifted the bag on his shoulder. He took Samael's hand and Apparated to his parent's house, where he was greeted warmly by his mother. He gave Faith a peck on the head and knelt next to Samael, ruffling up his hair, "don't tell your mom I wrecked your hair, or I'll ground you."

Ashley returned to their bedroom to change her clothes, as Damien Apparated away. She quickly pulled on a pair of jeans, and a simple grey sweater, then thought about it. She kept going warm, then cold. Well, better warm than cold anyways. The sweater would suffice. She grimaced at her reflection, then made a mental note to take another aspirin before bed. Hopefully she wouldn't pass whatever it was she had on to her kids or Damien. With a sigh, she brushed her hair, then went back downstairs, sitting on the couch as she waited for Damien to return.

Damien had a thought run through his mind as he left from his parent's house. He didn't Apparate straight home, but to Diagon Alley in London, where he ran into a store to pick up a gift, which he brought back with him to the house. He hid two long racing brooms on the patio before running inside, "sorry it took so long. Come on outside. Got something I want to show you."

Ashley looked up when Damien ran in, and she'd tensed for a moment, before realizing he just wanted to show her something. Her old training as an Auror still hadn't left her. "You startled me for a moment," she laughed, standing and going over to him. "What is it?" She stepped outside with him.

Damien pulled from behind the door two racing brooms, one of a dark ebony like wood with brunette bristles and the other an ivory with red bristles. He held them both out, "tada! Which one do you want?

Ashley's face brightened, as her eyes softened. "I haven't flown in forever," she said happily, reaching out to take hold of the ebony broom. "I'll take this one." As she took it, she leaned forward and kissed him. "Thank you...I think this will be fun."

He reached into his pocket and held out a shiny golden ball with the words "to my Ashley, forever mine" etched into it surface, "this is yours too"

Amusement shone in her eyes, mingled with loving softness. "How do I know you didn't rig it?" she asked teasingly, taking the Snitch - her Snitch - from his hand. "You spoil me, you know..." She looked down at the golden ball. "Well, only one way to find out if you rigged it or not..." The Snitch came to life in her hand, and she released it, letting it fly off before mounting her broom with a happy chuckle.

He was about to say something, but she bolted off on her new broom. He ripped off the price tag and flew after her, "hey! No fair... I spoil you and you bolt off without me! COME BACK HERE!" He gained on her tail, then off to her side, "great present?"

Ashley laughed. "You'll have to catch me first," she called back. Suddenly, he was by her side on his own broom, and she laughed. "An amazing present," she answered, her eyes lit up with joy, as she dove into a spiral before spiraling up. "I haven't flown since Hogwarts!" she whooped. "This is the coolest gift you could have gotten me!"

Damien's heart fluttered the way it used to when he and Ashley had first started dating. This passion brought them together and now had made at least his own feelings stronger. He dipped the nose gently and rolled in underneath her, catching a glimpse of the little Snitch. He laughed as he darted off after it. "Its mine this time Ash!"

Ashley chuckled, watching as her husband flew off after the Snitch. "I'll give you a head start," she called teasingly, content to watch him fly. This was what had first brought them together...and she never wanted to lose this friendship, this partnership, this love. It was amazing, to simply watch him, and know that Damien was hers. Finally, she leaned forward, swooping after the Snitch.

Damien bumped into Ash, trying to gain an advantage on catching the snitch, "I'm going easy on you, you know? I'm letting you catch up to me." He pushed hard to give distance between her and him, darting around after the tiny nuisance.

Ashley smirked, as he bumped her. "Please, we both know you're trying your hardest to beat me," she teased. The Snitch swooped up, and she pulled into a steep climb. As she did so, dizziness swept over her, causing her to grip the broom tightly until the spell passed. The result was that as the Snitch suddenly dived, she raced past it, until she leveled out, panting slightly. She frowned for a brief moment before rearranging her face into a grin. She never made mistakes like that...so why the sudden dizziness?

Damien hung back to watch his wife enjoy herself, finding it soothing to see her happy once more. When she faltered, his smile died and concern took over for his happiness and fear shook him; twice in a day wasn't good. Something was seriously wrong and now he needed to know. He dove after her and ran along side her, "Ash? You ok?"

Ashley was startled when Damien suddenly appeared beside her, but she nodded, not meeting his gaze. "I'm fine...just had another dizzy spell. I'm just coming down with a cold or something." She looked up at him with a reassuring smile that she didn't feel. "Don't worry about me..."

Damien gave her a dirty glare, but nodded in agreement. He reached out for her hand to give it a squeeze. "We've been married for a while... I can worry about you as much as I want. Not a damn thing you can say to change that."

Ashley stuck her tongue out. "Fine. Be stubborn. But remember, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." She winked. "I just might decide to lock you out of the house."

"Well then first one to the house gets to lock the other out eh?" he opened his other hand and revealed a glinting piece of gold that tried to flutter away from his palm. He bolted as quickly as he could back to the house, looking back to see the surprised look on her face.

Having anticipated a challenge to a race from Damien, Ashley had already taken off, but she did slow considerably, shocked. "How did you- never mind. You probably cheated..." She scowled playfully at him, as she continued to fly towards the house, testing the speed limits of the broom.

Damien looked back to a scowling wife gaining fast on his tail as she pushed her broom to its limits. He weaved back and forth, taunting her before racing off ahead of her towards the house, "you won't catch me, Ash!"

"Watch me!" she laughed, ignoring his weaving patterns in favor of speeding towards the house. "I do not appreciate being teased...I cook your meals, remember! You'll starve if you make me angry," she joked, as she finally caught up to him, flying close by his side.

"You still have to make it to the house to lock me out!" He yelled as he dove for the tree line, weaving in and out of the trees to the clearing. It wasn't long before he was within sight of the house that he pushed hard to try and get to the door before his wife. "See you inside honey!"

Ashley giggled as he landed before her. "Fine, lock the door if you want," she yelled back at him, before heading towards the open bedroom window. "But I have my own way in!" She stopped just before she crashed into the window, and stepped through, pulling the broom in after her. She was suddenly forced to lean on the broom for support, as dizziness again swept over her, causing her to drop to her knees with a gentle thud. "Not good," she murmured, before blacking out.

Damien heard the last of her yells before he ran inside and tried to run upstairs to get to the door before she locked it on him. As he got to the door there was a thud that brought the smile from his face away into a look of worry. He opened the door, finding Ash laying limp on the floor; he ran over to her and brought her head onto his lap, "Ash... Ash! Wake up!"

It was disorienting, to be sure, waking up on the floor, with her head in Damien's lap. Ashley blinked groggily, looking around. "What happened?" she asked faintly, hearing her pulse in her ears.

Damien ran his hand through her hair and looked very seriously in her eyes, "You blacked out... You've been really out of it lately, kind of lethargic and having headaches. What happened when you got back in?"

Ashley frowned, trying to remember. The split second before she blacked out...oh yeah. "Well, I'd landed, but then I suddenly felt really, really dizzy. Worse than before. I guess I must have fallen after that...I don't really remember that much..." She grimaced, shaking her head to clear it of its fuzziness.

"We're going to St. Mungo's, right now. Come on..." He scooped Ashley into his arms and gave her a quick kiss.

Ashley did return the kiss, but she attempted, weakly, to struggle. "No, I don't need to go to St. Mungo's. I'm just coming down with a cold or something. I'm fine..."

He adjusted his grip on her to keep her from jumping out of his arms, "no... We're going to St. Mungo's and that's final... I never really ask you for much, I think this time you can just oblige me and go."

Ashley looked unhappy. "But, Damien...I don't want to go to St. Mungo's..." She sighed, giving up the struggle. "Fine. I'll go. But I don't want to. At all."

Damien gave her an appreciate nod for not fighting him on the issue much longer and in the flash of an eye, he Apparated them to St. Mungo's. He was greeted warmly by their usual doctor, "hey... Wasn't expecting either of you for another month or so for your annual check up. What's going on?"

Ashley did hop down from Damien's arms then, but kept near his side. "Damien thinks I need to see a doctor," she muttered. "I think it's just a cold, or maybe the flu though...can you check me over, and help me assure him I'm fine?"

"Oh... Well come on then, we'll get you all checked out. Don't worry, Damien, she's in good hands." The doctor offered a hand to Ashley and gave her a reassuring smile, to which Damien gave a frown. He was encouraging this unexplained thing that Ashley had.

Ashley gave Damien's hand a quick, reassuring squeeze, before following the doctor down the hall and towards an examination room. "What seems to be the problem?" the doctor asked, once they were in a room, with the door closed. Ashley shrugged.

Ashley gave Damien's hand a quick, reassuring squeeze, before following the doctor down the hall and towards an examination room. "What seems to be the problem?" the doctor asked, once they were in a room, with the door closed. Ashley shrugged.

"Well, Damien says I've seemed rather lethargic lately. I just felt tired - probably the kids and their energy wearing me down," she laughed. "Um, I've been feeling slightly nauseous at times, and been having dizzy spells. The thing that got Damien's attention was when I blacked out. Just a few minutes before we arrived here," she continued. "That's what makes me think I'm coming down with the flu. Some sort of wizarding flu or something."

"Well, I haven't heard of any wizard flu that does something like that... let me have a look then." The doctor placed both hands on her cheeks and felt around her jaw and neck, "can you say Ahhh for me? Have you felt any soreness in your throat or any other places for that matter?" He felt something slightly swollen behind her jaw, where the lymph nodes were as he made his way down to her neck.

Ashley hated the poking and prodding that often came with examinations, but she sat still while the doctor felt her face, jaw, and neck. "Aaahhhhh," she said, before nodding. "I had a sore throat a few days ago, but it seems to have cleared up. I hope I haven't gotten my kids sick..." She frowned.

"You'll have to lay down for a moment, so I can do more examinations... Probably have to do some blood tests. My cousin is a doctor who specializes in that, so give me one second and he'll be here." He gave her a reassuring smile as he helped her down and whipped his wand over her and then to the wall and gave a look over.

The look of the swollen glands brought a wrinkle to the older man's brow, "Oh dear… this isn't good. The lymph nodes there are completely shocked and swollen." He reached into his pocket and rubbed a golden coin that brought a sudden knock at the door.

He grabbed the doorknob and let the man in, "yes, Armando?"

"Look at this? What do you make of it?"

"I cannot do this right now.. I am taking care of patients at my clinic."

"This will be of interest to you, so please just look." The doctor gave in and brandished a pair of glasses as he looked at the picture on the wall, "what do you make of it?" The newcomer looked longingly at the picture, trying to figure its mystery.

Ashley lay down, as instructed, suddenly nervous. The doctor seemed concerned about something, and she hated not knowing. When he even brought in a muggle doctor, she felt her pulse pounding in her ears. "What's wrong with my lymph nodes?" she asked tentatively. "There's nothing horribly wrong, is there?"

The new doctor that came in looked pale as she asked her question. He knelt down next to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, "ma'am... I'm afraid we've got some bad news for you. Did you come here alone today? Do you have a family, because you will want someone here..."

"her husband is outside, I'll grab him." the doctor poked a head out and called to Damien, which brought immediate questions, to which were answer with a wave of a wand for a chair to be brought to him. Once the door was closed, the muggle doctor began, "your lymph nodes are swollen beyond normal capacity, which means your immune system has been violently weak. I will run a few more tests to be absolutely positive, but from what I am seeing here, this looks like you may have Lymphoma. Its a rare type of cancer... And no modern technique magical or muggle has a remedy for it. We have ways of treating it to get it not so swollen, but the tumor growths are well into swing. If we remove them, you'll lose the lymph nodes and you will be completely susceptible to any disease that passes by you; and to make matters worse, even the common cold will kill you. Any illness you take on will be extremely fatal. I'm sorry about this."

Ashley paled, as Damien was brought in. What could be so bad that she would need him? She quickly got her answer, and she clasped a hand to her mouth, horrified, as the doctor diagnosed her with lymphoma. How could something so deadly have crept up on her, only now rearing its ugly head, too far gone to treat it? And to hear that the only cure would be to remove her lymph nodes, leaving her severely weakened and vulnerable? If the cancer didn't kill her, then a cold would. For the first time in her life, Ashley was truly, utterly afraid. Never before had such fear coursed through her in such magnitude. No wonder; it wasn't everyday one was told they were pretty much dying. Blindly, she reached out for Damien, seeking comfort. "I can't...how...no..." she whispered. "This can't be happening..."

Damien's shaking hands felt hers grab for his and immediate, he took it. Never in his life had he felt such anger and sadness since the day Ashley was submitted to the bloodline fidelity. He shook his head and brought Ashley closer, "what else is there? What else can we do? I will not lose her, I..."

"Mr. Kelmore, I'm sorry. My cousin can run a few tests to find out what course of treatment we can do, but unfortunately, these things do happen."

Ashley's eyes were distraught, as she gazed at the wall behind the man blankly. "No," she whispered. "There's got to be a way..." She swallowed hard. "Are you absolutely sure there's no way to cure it? No spell or potion? I don't want...I don't want to..." She couldn't bring herself to say it, instead burying her face into Damien's neck, as the tears began to fall.

"We'll work on finding one and there are treatments that will help, but not a permanent cure no. You'll have to excuse me... I'll have to move my patients around so I can come back to run tests."

Damien ran his fingers through Ashley's hair, murmuring "you'll be alright... I promise," while sobbing into her. He couldn't lose her... And he wouldn't... Even if he had to give up everything to get it."


	21. Chapter 21: Simple Things (Part 2)

"Lieutenant? Are you paying attention to me? I was asking you a question," Said a stern female voice that commanded obedience as she snapped her fingers before Damien's face. The High General herself came to pay a special visit to the Kelmore's, due to the saddening news of Ashley's illness and offer whatever help she could. Damien hadn't been on base in 4 months, which was when they found out about the Lymphoma. The High General had pulled Damien outside to have a serious discussion with him, but he was too distracted (rather distraught) over his wife, "Damnit Damien... will you pay attention to me?"

Damien, now slightly paled skin and greyish white hair, shook himself out of his stupor and looked lazily towards his commanding officer, "Sorry, Your Highness. Not quite all together. What did you say?" The High General gave him a sympathetic look and pulled a chair out for herself.

"I understand... I asked if this is really the route you want to go? You've been nothing but amazing in the field and you're almost an inspiration to the cadets. It would be a shame to lose you, but family is something that must be addressed first."

"Yes, Your Highness," he said with a strange taste in his mouth; felt weird to call her that, but it is what she had been requesting as of recent. He pulled out his own chair and dropped into it, "I need to be here for them and I can't do that if I'm out in the field. Should... should we not find a cure... the children will be left in my care and I must do everything in my power to make sure they're raised as best as they can." A tear formed into corners of his eyes, but he stopped it as quickly as it came, "I will be on call for you, more of a contractor..."

"I can accept those terms then. If that's the case I must give you a promotion..."

Damien looked shocked and leaned forward with the same confusion, "A what?"

"A promotion. You are bound to the Vanguard from the day you took the Oath, till your dying day... the only way I can allow such talk from you is a promotion. Queen's Tactical Officer. You will rarely ever have duties, unless a war would break out, the same way I will not take the Seat of the Vanguard until a war breaks out. I will ask you for a favor or two, but you will not be at beckon call. As a gift..." She pulled something from her pocket and within a moment of strangely comforting silence, a tall burly figure covered in charred dust and iron appeared holding a weapon of some sort. Damien recognized the man as his partner, McTavish, who gave a start of surprise.

"Kelmore? What in hell, man... This is for you?"

"What's for me?"

"Mr. McTavish, let me the sword please?" requested The High General with a now peaceful tone. Ryan handed over the sword and stepped over to Damien, "I'm sorry to hear about Ash, man..."

The High General unsheathed the sword and gave it a once over, a beautifully made rapier with an ivory handle and red dragonskin decor. She sheathed the sword and handed it over to Damien, "Tactical Officer Kelmore, this is your new weapon, made by your partner, enchanted to never break and guide you through these hard times. I will grant you the leave you ask of, at the expense of the things we've talked of. I will hear from you soon, I hope."

Damien nodded and took the sword, admiring it for a moment, standing up to give Ryan a hug. The High General nodded and Apparated away, leaving Ryan with Damien in the backyard.

"You wanna come in? At least see the kids? They've missed you, you know?"

Ryan nodded and tried to wipe off some of the dirt from his hands onto his apron. Damien opened the door and walked inside, calling in, "Hey guys... Ryan McTavish is here." Suddenly, the sounds of footsteps could be heard rushing down the stairs as both Samael and Faith hurried to jump on Ryan, who seemed to not be affected by the flying children.

"AHHH! You two are huge! Its been a while hasn't it?"

Damien left the kids with Ryan and went to go find Ashley, who was somewhere with Alexander, "Ash? Where are you?"

Ashley had been merely sitting, holding Xander close to her on her lap as the boy slept. It was a habit she'd picked up recently, knowing that she didn't have too much longer to simply hold her son. The fact that she had lost weight, and was paler than usual was a good indicator of that. Also, it was comforting to listen to his steady, even breathing. It had even lulled her to sleep at times. Right now, she was on the living room couch, thinking to herself as Xander slept.

She heard Damien call out for her, a familiar voice in the background. Tiredly, she stood, careful not to jolt Xander, as she made her way to the door. "I'm here, Damien," she said, with a gentle smile. "Hey, Ryan. Good to see you." She shifted her hold on Xander.

"I'm sorry I couldn't have come by sooner. Now that I know I've been missed terribly, I should make a point to come more often." He quickly put the kids down on their feet and brushed them off, "how are you holding up? Damien's letters have said that they may have found a treatment that works?"

Ashley smiled softly as her kids adjusted to being set down by contenting themselves with jumping around excitedly. "Samael, don't climb on the hat stand," she admonished, watching as her son guilty stopped clambering up the hat stand in an effort to be noticed. "Why don't we all move to the living room?" She wouldn't admit she was tired, instead chuckling and saying, "Xander gets heavier every day."

She glanced at Damien. "I guess we're getting by," she murmured, "There is a new treatment that we're getting ready to try. Some mixture of potions and such. The muggle doctors aren't too sure on what their course is, so I think we'll go with St. Mungo's idea..."

"Good. Well I had something I wanted to give you guys a couple of days ago and I've been meaning to come over to give it to you. Just remind me to go get it for you. Its just a few mixtures I've made help with the fatigue and loss of strength," he said as he sat onto the couch followed by the kids jumping into his lap. "So what are you guys going to do today?"

"Daddy says he's gonna teach us Quidditch! When I grow up I wanna be in the Hollyhead Harpies!" Faith said as she bounced up and down in Ryan's lap. Samael tugged at his hair, earning him a scolding from his father, "stop that, its rude." The boy stopped, but bounced like his sister.

"Yeah, these two were just crazy about this last Quidditch World Cup and wouldn't stop begging about it, so we're going to try and make this next one and teach them some stuff about how to play. I'm really hoping Ash and I could go fly again soon; its what brought us together," said he as he gave Ashley a gentle squeeze of the hand and a loving kiss.

Ashley chuckled, watching her children. It was obvious they were fond of Ryan. "We still need to get them their first brooms," she said, smiling, "But when we do, we'll give them a lesson on the basics of Quidditch. No matter which school they go to, they should be good enough to try out for the team when they're old enough." She returned Damien's kiss. "I want them to experience what we experienced...the thrill of flying; especially with someone you're close too." She smiled, as Xander began to stir.

"I think we can go flying again sometime soon. It shouldn't take too much out of me...it's flying. I love it too much." Xander sat up, blinking sleepily. "Hey, buddy," Ashley laughed softly. "Guess who's here?"

He glanced up, tiny face breaking into a smile. "Wyan!" he called happily, throwing his arms out.

Ryan stood up, Samael and Faith holding on tightly still so they wouldn't have to get up, and picked up the little boy in his arms. He plopped back down into the chair with a sigh and a laugh, "jeeze you guys are getting big. Soon I wont be able to do this anymore. Well I wish you all the best of luck then on finding brooms you like. From what Damien has told me about it, its a bit of a task. I really should get going here in a minute... the boss won't like me not at my post."

Damien nodded and waved a hand dismissively, "take all the time you need, they need to go take a bath before we can go... you got them all covered in soot and they've done nothing but play in the backyard all day today. Go on you two; hop in the bath."

Ashley chuckled, before standing slowly. "Yes, it's time for you two to say goodbye. You need to clean up before we can go broom shopping." Samael made a face, but did as she said, Faith mimicking his movements. The twins gave Ryan a last squeeze, before clambering down and racing upstairs. She turned back to Ryan. "I'd better go make sure those two are behaving," she chuckled. "But it was wonderful, having you visit for a little bit. Maybe next time I'll have something baked for you. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"You don't have to go out of your way like that for me... I may be the god father, but it really isn't necessary. You're the one here who needs to keep herself in high spirits so I wish you the best of health. Remind me to come back tomorrow and bring you those potions and such." He stood up and gave Ashley a gentle hug, hoping he didn't hurt her in any way, then turned to Damien and pulled him into a brother's embrace before shifting back to his post.

"Lets go get them cleaned up and then we can go have some fun. Do you want me to make you anything to eat?"

Ashley nodded, as he gently hugged her, then bid goodbye to Damien, before shifting away. She turned to Damien, a small smirk on her face. "I may not be at my full health," she said lightly, "But I can still cook. Tell you what. You clean Xander up and make sure Faith and Samael stay focused, while I get us something to eat. Xander's getting heavy anyways." She bobbed the boy on her hip to emphasize her words.

The little boy giggled happily and reached for his father, clapping his hands to make himself known. Damien took the boy in his arms and leaned in to give Ashley a kiss, "Ok then... You win. I'll take care of them, you go make some food."

((At Diagon Alley))

It was a short trip to Diagon Alley, thanks to the Floo Network that brought them to the Leaky Cauldron. He tapped the correct order of bricks with his left hand as the other was preoccupied with his youngest son playing with his glasses still on his head. Samael held closely to his mother; Faith clung off of her father's shoulders like a backpack. They were on their way to the quidditch shop, just a few stores over from the Florish and Blotts. Damien looked at Ashley with concern, "You going to be ok love?"

Ashley smiled and nodded. "I'll be fine," she murmured. "If I get tired, I can always sit down. But this is a day for the kids." She looked down as Samael tugged on her hand.

"Mommy, I want a really, really fast broom...faster than Faith's!"

From Damien's shoulders piped up his twin. "No, mine's gonna be faster."

"But you're a girl...you'll be afraid of faster brooms!"

Ashley hushed the two of them before the argument went further. "You both can have fast brooms, if I allow it. It depends on the broom though, okay guys?" She smirked at Damien. "Although, for the record, I was usually faster than your father. So, Samael, girls can go just as fast as guys."

"Even faster!" giggled Faith. Ashley chuckled, as they walked into the Quidditch shop.

Damien held the door open for his wife and son, looking back as best he could to Faith, "we'll get a broom for you to beat even your mommy in flying. I'll teach you how to fly." The little girl jumped up and down with glee, choking her father in the process.

Ashley raised an eyebrow at Damien. "A broom to beat me with?" she asked lightly. "Better save that one for yourself then. You need it."

With a laugh, she kissed his cheek, before letting Samael pull her towards the model broom by the window.

"Last I remember, I won our last race fair and square."

"Daddy! That one. I wanna see that one, "shouted Faith as she pointed to a red and silver broom on the midrack. He chuckled and guided his little girl to the broom, kneeling so she could jump down. The store employee came by and smiled courteously, "I see your girl has an eye for good brooms."

"How well does she handle?" "Well, if you can afford it."

"You shoulda seen me the last time I was in here. I bought those two up there," Damien pointed out the two brooms he bought for Ashley and himself, keeping his voice down. Ashley stuck her tongue out at Damien, knowing it was childish but not caring.

She laughed, as Samael dragged her to another broom. "I want this one!" he proclaimed, pointing at the green and silver broom.

"Slytherin colors...are you sure? Maybe we should test it first. Never trust a Slytherin," Ashley laughed. "Damien, if he turns out to be a Slytherin...I don't know what I'll do with you two."

"Not my fault if he's a Slytherin... Comes from your side of the family. Besides I wanted to be in Ravenclaw. Faith wants to be in Gryffindor, it looks like." He pulled the broom down and gave it a good once over before handing it to his little girl, "now Faith, is this the one you really want?" she nodded and jumped up and down in happiness, forcing her father to take it from her hands to keep from destroying it.

Ashley rolled her eyes. "Still mad about not being in my House?" she asked teasingly, before eyeing Samael's broom. "Are you sure these are kid-friendly?" she asked the clerk, who nodded.

"There are protective wards on the brooms," he explained. "They prevent falls from above a certain height, and Cushioning charms are placed on them as well, so your children don't get hurt when they crash."

"The fall-prevention wards...only work at a certain height?"

"About three feet off the ground, ma'am. That way, the kids can still experience the bruises that real Quidditch players experience, while remaining safe."

Ashley smiled. "Alright. I'm satisfied. Do you want this broom, Samael?" Her son nodded vigorously.

Damien smiled, as happy as he could be as he and his wife went shopping with their kids for their first brooms. He turned to look at something Xander had been reaching for; a Nimbus model of some kind. He shook his head and kissed his head, "you're definitely not old enough to be on a broom Xander. In a few years, we'll do this again so you can get you one." he handed the broom to the clerk and knelt down to allow Faith to piggyback again.

Ashley smiled softly at her husband, as Samael stood on tiptoe, extending his prized broom to the clerk hesitantly. The clerk had a slight smile on his face as he rang up the price of the two brooms.

Ashley reached into her bag to pay, seeing Damien with his arms full. She also reached for the boxes of brooms, easily lifting them before taking Samael's hand. "Mom, can I fly home?" Samael asked. Ashley chuckled.

"No, you have to learn how to fly first," she said gently. "But you will learn that when we get home."

((Later at Home))

It wasn't long that the couple got home and the kids tore open their boxes like it was Christmas all over again. Faith was being much like her father, showing off her broom to make her brother jealous and Xander, fast asleep in his crib, would probably not wake up to the sounds of yelling and cheers. Damien held Ashley close in his arms, "you have fun today?"

Ashley was content to watch her children, as Samael stuck his tongue out at Faith, prompting a small wrestling match that she didn't have the heart to break up. She leaned into Damien's embrace happily. "I had a wonderful time," she said with a small laugh. "They're so happy, even when they're jealous of each other." She nodded towards their children. "I definitely see both of us in them."

He laughed as Samael pinned Faith with her arm behind her back, "Faith, move your free arm behind your head and scoot down two inches back and to the right." Faith did as she was told and got out of her pin, turning it around on her brother, "good job Faith!

Ashley swatted Damien's shoulder. "Don't encourage them!" she scolded. "I won't raise belligerent children that are more dangerous than myself." She tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't.

"What's the fun in life if your children cant wrestle and fight with you properly. Come on Samael, you know how to get out of that... Just drop you knee and roll, son." He looked at Ashley, feeling like she might be giving him dirty glares, "besides this is entertaining. This'll knock them out for sure tonight along with the riding lessons... Unless you don't wanna do that?"

Ashley was indeed glaring at him. "You're impossible," she muttered, "Who would have thought I'd marry someone more stubborn than me?" She sighed with a grin on her face. "You get to bandage them up, and put them to bed. They're going to be wound up after all the excitement..."


	22. Chapter 22: Peaceful Sleep

"Damien... I'm sorry mate. I never thought..." The gruff Irish voice wavered for a brief moment, as the man looked to the floor.

"Its not your fault, Ryan. Just make sure they stay safe, please? My mum and dad will take care of them until I return. Right now I just need to go see Ash." Damien's voice sounded tense, trying to hold back all of his emotions as he had been doing for the past year. Ryan put a hand on Damien's shoulder and turned to walk out the door, leaving Damien in the Triage Center of St. Mungo's. Damien headed deeper into the building, feeling his anxiety well up more and more as he turned each corner, strolled down each hallway all the way to his wife's room.

He was only a few feet away from the door, couldn't even see her, but the same feelings of dread and anger washed over him. Over the past year, the muggle doctors and those of the magical community could not figure out how to save this young woman's life. He turned the door handle and opened the door with a sharp sigh, finally stepping in when he felt ready enough. Inside sat Ash, his beautiful wife who was slowly dying from a cancer that neither world could treat. He quickly closed the door behind him and walked over to her bed to sit next to her. Her eyes fluttered awake from the weight of the bed shifting to the corner Damien had sat on and a smile played onto her face.

"Hey, you..."

"I missed you, you know that?"

"You always say that. Where are the kids?"

"I sent them to my mum and dad's house. They need to sleep and get ready for school, at least Samael and Faith do."

Ashley smiled weakly, "I want to see them go off to school."

"I'll arrange that. For now you need to get better. Can't have you lying around in bed all day. Who am I supposed to chase down on a broom when we play Quidditch or snuggle with at night after all the kids go to sleep?"

"You'll just have to make do with the pillow, now won't you?"

"Don't be a brat... come here."

Damien swung his legs up onto the bed and laid his head down on the same pillow and wrapped an arm around her. He buried his face into the nape of her neck and she giggled as she lifted his chin to meet his crystalline eyes. "You haven't shaved in a while. By the looks of it, you haven't slept either, dear?" She ran a hand through his head of dreadlocked hair, playing with the fuzzy ends to try and make him a bit more relaxed.

"How can I sleep? What am I supposed to do, Ash? How can I relax with you like this?" He growled as he could not fight back the tears anymore. She pulled him into her, feeling the tears drip quickly along her skin. She looked around the room and felt a twinge of fear run through her body.

"Damien? Let's leave... just for a little bit. Let's go away for just a little bit, please? I need to get away from here."

Damien looked up, confused at this request. "Are you sure? Are you strong enough to move around?"

"This is me you're talking to, remember? I think I can manage to shift out and back..." She coughed roughly, doubling over in pain.

Damien moved around to accommodate her and ran a hand along her cheek. "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere as long as it's with you."

Damien nodded and got up and walked over to the closet. "I'll grab your clothes..."

"Just my jacket. These sweats will be fine and I want to be barefoot."

Damien complied and came back to her with a white sweater and his black cloak and helped Ash up to get the sweater on. Once on, he turned around and put her around his neck and lifted her off the bed. Once out of bed, she snuggled up closely to him and wrapped her legs around his waist, watching the room vanish quickly. A cold rush of air and the smell of the ocean spray played another smile on her features as the smell of lotuses and jasmines filled her nostrils. A small waterfall made a peaceful hum as water fell into a clear blue pond with small fish scuttling about.

Damien slowly set his wife on her feet and put an arm around her waist. "You know where we are?"

She hummed happily and forced her body to move towards a tree that had a carving in it and a knife sticking out of the more recent carving. The tree that the carving was in seemed to grow around the knife, holding it in place for some special task. With her husband's help, Ash made it all the way to tree, running her fingers along the outlines of the carving:

Here stands Ashley Selwyn and Damien Kelmore:

An undying love now bound by marriage.

Children:

Tristan Aaron, Samael Nikolas and Ashley Faith

Damien chuckled, "I figured you'd want to be here again... it's been a while since we've been here. Oh, look. We haven't put in Alexander's name in yet."

He took the knife in hand and the tree's roots retracted from it and let him draw the blade away. He put the knife in Ash's hand and put his hand around hers and lifted it up to scratch in their son's name alongside their other children. After a minute of struggling, the carving was done and Ash started to sit. Damien put the knife back and wrapped an arm around her. "You ok?"

"This is where you proposed to me. I missed this place for a while. I can't believe I had almost forgotten about it..."

There was a very painful moment of silence before Ash cuddled up more. "I need to rest a little bit... enjoy this before we go back..." Damien nodded and pulled his cloak over her to keep her warm as she dug her toes into the lush, green grass. Damien closed his eyes and felt, for the first time in a while, relaxed and sleep took over rather quickly. Ash looked up after a few minutes and made sure he was asleep.

"I'm sorry, my love. I promise you, you can relax now. You've been so good to me and here I am causing you pain. I will always love you."

Some time later, Damien heard a bird chirping above his head and his eyes fluttered open. It had only been an hour or so later, but that was time that he had missed out on with his wife, who was asleep in his lap. He felt a chill from the nearby waterfall and he shivered. "Come on, Ash. It's getting a bit chilly out and I don't want the doctors to give a fuss that we've been gone."

Ash didn't respond.

Damien looked down with worry, nudging her gently. "Come on, Ash. Its time to get up."

No reply.

Damien panicked a little, "Ash... ASH! ASHLEY WAKE UP!"

He turned her over to see her smile. One last happy smile. A smile that made Damien smile back sadly. "You're free now. You won't be in pain anymore." He picked her up and held her closely, crying quietly into her.

_**((This Chapter was very hard for Night and I write. We had a deep emotional attachment to Ashley and this chapter made us both cry. Hopefully if you've felt the same way about our couple, you too will cry.))**_


	23. Chapter 23: Saying Goodbye

Damien stood silently in the home that he and his late wife built together... feeling the aching of losing Ashley striking him as he looked at everything that reminded him of her. Her stuffed animals that he had won from the carnivals they'd gone to when they were younger. The place where the Christmas tree almost fell on the kids because she started to fall over when putting up the decorations. The kids wresting with him while she refereed it... all those memories bit hard at his heart, forcing a tear to leak out from his eyes. He turned around and walked towards the door to close it for possibly the last time, hesitantly making his way out the door and locking it behind him. With a single sigh, he shifted away back to their first home together, where she would be buried with their late son, Tristan.

There stood many people, family and friend who came to pay respects to the wonderful woman that was taken from the Earth untimely. Ashley Faith, who donned a black dress, walked up to her father and wrapped her arms around him without a single tear in her eye. She looked up at him with a great amount of pain deep within her and said, "Daddy? Why can't I cry?"

"What's wrong?"

"I feel sad, but I can't bring myself to cry."

"That's because you're strong... but even sometimes the strong must cry. You will when it is time, Faith; you are as strong as your mother with all of her stubbornness. Now I asked you to not wear black dear. Isn't there something else for you to wear?"

"I looked, but nothing looked good and this dress is nice and I wanted to impress mom by showing her I'm a big girl."

Damien smiled half-heartedly and kissed her forehead, "Well then I'll just have to change the color myself. Stand still." He waved a hand across her dress, changing it from black to a deep hued reddish purple. He kissed her once more and patted her back, "gorgeous. You look like she did. Go over with Grandpa, I have to go take care of a few things. Samael? Where are you?"

"Here." A small voice, filled with pain, piped up from behind Damien. Samael moved slowly towards his father, tugging at the sleeves of the dark blue suit he wore. "I'm here, Dad." He kept his eyes on the ground, his face sad and angry at the same time. "Why did she have to go, Daddy?" he burst out, forgetting the solemnness of before. "Why did she leave us?"

From a distance, a tall, regal figure watched the small scene with hardened eyes, before he turned and strode away. The smaller figure at his side watched him go with sad eyes, before she moved towards the gathered people. Mrs. Selwyn remained on the outskirts of the crowd, but she was there, and that was what mattered.

Samael looked up at his father, sniffing quietly. He rubbed at his eyes, drying his tears as his father told him. He wanted to show his mother that he could be a big boy, and be brave, like his father. But oh! How he missed Mommy. He wanted to cry, so that maybe she would come back, if only to dry his tears for him. Samael dismally wandered off to find Faith.

Diane studied her late daughter's husband, as he approached her. She held her head high and proud, as he questioned her. "Ashley was my daughter, and I will see her laid to rest. I was there when she married you, despite my husband's wishes, and I will be with her now, to say goodbye."

Grief flickered in her eyes briefly - the grief of a mother's unconditional love. "She loved you enough to support you, even when her family disowned her," she said quietly. "I love her enough to be here to lend my own support, as you bury her. I will not deceive you, Damien. I do not approve of the choice my daughter made in marrying you. But I will not let my anger continue. I will not let my anger blind me towards the family she left behind. Your kids are every bit as much hers as yours. They carry Selwyn blood. Therefore, they have my love." She held his gaze evenly as she spoke.

Damien smiled to himself from the inside, keeping a hardened look upon his brow. After a moment of pondering he just gave in and wrapped his arms around her, "After what your husband and son have done to my family, I can't help but bear resentment. Please forgive the fact that I'm suffering without her here with me. I have always respected you, personally, for the support you've given to us. I don't know what else I can do for my children now... without her. She helped keep us together," he said looking at Alexander, giggling with his grandmother and Faith, "They look and act so much like her that even they are painful to be around, but they're also my joy.

At first, Diane tensed, feeling his arms around her. For one, she was of higher status, both in blood and in general. Two, the men of her family did not show affection this way. It was a foreign concept to her. But it was those two ways of thinking that had driven Ashley from them, she realized. And so, she allowed herself to be hugged, relaxing a little.

When he released her, she smiled sadly at him, seeing his pain. "Perhaps in a different life, we could have been on better terms," she said softly. "But we aren't. I...I forgive you, Damien, for stealing my daughter away. Your bloodlines are not your fault. If only for the sake of Ashley and my grandchildren...I forgive you." It was as close to an apology as she could muster. "Aaron has his own remorse. I daresay he is somewhere nearby right now, hating his cowardice at not being able to show his face, and grieving for his twin. As for Ethan..."

Diane sighed. "Ever since we heard the news about Ashley, he has become quiet, keeping to himself. He blames himself, you know. He thinks that if he could have stopped her...that she would still be alive. He's certain that disowning her is what caused her to fall ill." Her eyes were sad. "Damien, consider this a friendly warning. Do not attempt to make peace with Ethan. For your protection, and for the happy future of your kids...leave him be. He will no doubt resent you for taking our daughter. I do not wish to see my husband take out his anger on you or one of the little ones."

He took the warning to heart and nodded in quiet contemplation, "I understand, Mrs. Selwyn... Though I would ask of you to send Aaron away. He owes me a great deal and his presence here will only anger me. As for your husband, I would gladly welcome his anger, if only for the one chance I have been waiting for to give him what's coming to him. I am not a vengeful man, Diane, but should either Aaron or Ethan cross my path, there will be hell to pay and you will be short a son or a husband. Please make sure this is the last time we meet... Because even seeing you brings back memories of her. I appreciate what all you have done for me, but once this is done, this will be goodbye." someone called Damien's name, urging the man to come forward to pall bear. He waved towards the man and turned back to Diane, "its time... And I'm not sure I'm ready for this. What am I to do?"

Diane nodded in understanding. "Be careful," she whispered. "I'd like to think that you would win over my husband...but don't forget the darkness within him. Even your alchemy may not be ready for what my husband knows. There are things that aren't bound by spells and wand work...as for Aaron, I was only guessing. I will not send him away however." Her eyes were stern. "Angry you may be with him, and for good reason, but Ashley was his twin. That is a closer bond than even you share with her, Damien. As for our meeting again, I will do my best to avoid seeing you. But you cannot run from her memory...There will be reminders of her in everything. Embrace the pain...it draws you closer to her."

She gave him a sympathetic look. "Just hold your happiest memory with her in your heart," she said softly. "It will help you bear the pain, remembering her at her best." With that, Diane slowly slipped away, back into the crowd, disappearing from sight.

Damien nodded and turned to go back, thinking of they day he and Ashley had first flown together. Slowly drawing the white gloves over his fingers, bringing the feeling of how it felt when he gave her their first kiss. The outline of her figure standing in front of him brought a smile onto his face, but a tear to his eyes as they lifted the casket to take it to the resting place by their tree.

From his shelter in the shadow of a tree, Aaron watched, careful to keep his face hidden. He bit his tongue to hold back the tears, as they carried the casket towards the designated tree. That was his sister...his baby sister. She was gone. He squeezed his eyes shut, his breaths quiet but ragged.

"Goodbye, Ash...I'm so sorry," he whispered brokenly. He had made a mistake...and so had lost not only his sister, but his best friend. There was no more for him here. Not able to bear seeing them bury her, he turned, and slipped away.

Damian's father led the precession to the massive willow tree where the couple had frequented. It was a place of unrequited love and now the burial site of Ashley Kelmore next to her son. Once to the grave, the pall bearers set the casket down and backed away, all except Damian who was hesitant to let. His sister slowly trotted towards him, trying to pry the white knuckled grip that held onto the rail, coaxing him to back away.

Ian stood before the family, with his arms crossed, "we are all but shadows and dust on this planet. Life comes as quickly as it is taken and for that we grieve. We grieve not that she was taken from us... But only taken too soon. Today, we lay to rest a woman with a beautiful mind and a perfect soul, tormented physically by disease and taken from us too young. A woman who I am proud to call a daughter rather than daughter in law. Ashley was able to keep my son in check, happy even, which I must say is a great feat in and of itself." the crowd chuckled through their tears. "Today, she suffers no more by the blessings of the gods or just God Himself, but whatever it is you believe, believe in it and the fact that she is safe and well. Ashley leaves behind three children, Ashley Faith, Samael and Alexander, along with a loving deserving husband, Damian. My son, would you like to say something?"

Damian nodded and gave his father a hug, moving before the crowd, "I'm glad you all came here today. The support is most welcomed... I can only speak for myself when I say that now that she isn't suffering anymore that I'm relieved. It was painful to me to watch her live in pain, not being able to pick up her children and play, not to be able to love me as well as she would have like because she couldn't move. All these things take its toll and when it finally comes down, it feels like relief. Relief that she is safe now."

Ethan watched from a distance, unknowingly much like his son had. Only his eyes were brimming with anger, as he stared at the man who had stolen his daughter. If you hadn't come along, Damien Kelmore, he thought, then my Ashley might still be here.

Their foolish 'love' had led him to disown her, if only to bring her to her senses. He thought that if he disowned her, she'd realize her mistake and leave Damien, and he could reinstate her as a Selwyn. But instead, he been led to stress her out, and curse her with a shortened life.

"I'm so sorry, Darling," he murmured. "I tried to give you the best in life, even when you wouldn't let me." For a brief moment, grief flickered in the cold, hard gaze, but it was again eclipsed by hatred. He never again wanted to lay eyes on this family. Quietly, he left, hardening his heart, allowing his pain and bitterness at Ashley's death to fuel his anger.

Once every one was done eulogizing, Damian lowered the casket in and covered it with earth using alchemy, dropping to his knees to sit there quietly. Many friends came to give condolences, but the man was too numb to hear them or stand to give thanks. Ian made sure that those people were thanked for his son as Damian sat there quiet staring forward at the tree where the couple carved in the names of themselves as well as the children and now he she lay. "Tristan keep mommy happy ok?"

((A Week Later))

Damian hadn't moved from the grave in a week. No food, no sleep, just a constant quiet sitting where he ran through all of the years of happiness she had given him. The kids were with his parents as he wasn't emotionally ready to handle them yet again.

Slow, heavy footsteps broke the silence. Mad-Eye Moody studied the grieving man in front of him, a bit of caution on his face. Remorse for past wrongs filled his voice, as he said, "I never got to apologize to her. I know now that stripping her from the ranks of the Aurors was wrong. But in hindsight, it also gave you more time with her. She could focus on raising your family. Perhaps that even saved her from an even earlier death." He stayed at a bit of a distance, in case Damien lashed out.

"Damien, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for your loss, and the pain I've caused you in the past. Right now, I ask that you simply listen to me. It's been a week, and you haven't eaten or slept. You can come back, but please, at least come sleep for a few hours. Eat something. Let your kids know that you're alright. They're worried about you. Samael is terrified that you're going to leave them, just like their mother did. At least reassure them, even if it's not face to face."

Damian hadn't the energy to turn his head, but he made the attempt anyways, "I appreciate your candor, Allister. I was just saying goodbye... One last time. I suppose I have kept my children worried sick at the house. Do you suppose you can help an old friend to his bed?"

Moody's good eye softened slightly, as he stepped forward, resting a tentative hand on Damien's shoulder. "Of course I can," he said quietly. "Let's get you home." He reached down, offering a hand.

Damian took his hand and used all of his strength to stand, feeling everything hurt from the stress of it. He leaned on Moody for support and pointed towards the house and started to make their way back. It was a quiet five minutes to the house, as not much needed to be said at that point, but once inside the house, his twin 10 year old children attacked him with hugs. Faith looked up to him with tears in her eyes, "DAD! Don't go away like mom did!"

Moody watched with solemn eyes as Samael caught up with his sister. "Please, Daddy...I don't want you to go," he sobbed. "I miss Mommy...I don't want to miss you too!" His eyes were large, and tear-streaks ran down his cheeks.

Damian smirked sorrowfully and knelt to his son and brought his children into a close embrace and kissed them each on their forehead, "I would never leave you two behind. Daddy just needed some time to say goodbye to your mother. It was very hard, but I was able to... I love you both so much and I cannot live without you. Alas, daddy is tired and in need of food. First though, a thought just came to me. School starts for you soon... Some will say that you should go, but I will allow you to stay home if you wish. I can understand now that mom isn't here that things will be hard. I will teach you what you must know if you do stay, otherwise, you'll go to Hogwarts at the start of the school year."

Samael looked up at his father, a strange maturity in his eye. The loss of his mother had been a big shock, and had opened his eyes to the more serious thing in life, more serious than whether Faith was sharing, or whether he had to eat his vegetables.

"I want to go to school," he whispered. "And I want to be a..." His face screwed up in thought, trying to remember. "A Ravenclaw. Like Mommy. Or a Slytherin like you." He lowered his eyes to the ground, "Mommy liked Hogwarts, right, Daddy?"

"I'd rather you be in Ravenclaw, my son. No offense to my old House, but it was not the best place to be. Your mother loved Hogwarts and I would like to see you two have as much fun as you can while there."

Samael pouted. "But you always said Slytherin was best, when Mommy said that Ravenclaw was best," he muttered.

"Did you not have a fun time, Daddy?" Faith asked in a small voice," You met Mommy...what if you were in...Huffle...Huffle..." She frowned. "Whatever a Huffle-thingy is? You might not have met Mommy!" Her eyes widened almost comically in horror. Moody, who had been making sure Damien was alright, held in a small snort of laughter.

"If you don't need me, I'll be heading out," he murmured, moving towards the door.

Damian raised a hand and made a small peep as he stood to stop the man. He took to a quick stride to meet the man and offered a hand, "Allister... The things that we have had to go through over the years, I must apologize to you... I hold no anger to you for the stuff that you and yours have done to us. I appreciate you coming."

Moody half-turned, past regrets evident in his eyes. "Thank you, Damien," he said quietly. "That means a lot. I only wish there was no need for forgiveness." With that, he left, Apparating away once he was outside.

He turned to his children," if I had been in Ravenclaw, I still would have met mom, not as well as I would have, but still. I enjoyed being there until an incident with your Uncle Aaron made me think twice. I just don't want that kind of anger instilled into my children."

Samael cocked his head curiously. "What kind of anger, Daddy?"

Faith was more focused on Uncle Aaron. "Why don't we ever see Uncle Aaron?" she asked hesitantly. "Why wasn't he there to say goodbye to Mommy? Wasn't he her brother? Didn't he love her? Did Mommy not love him?" Her eyes widened. "When Samael leaves, I want to say goodbye," she said firmly.

Damian fell over and leaned against the couch, preparing himself for the bombardment of questions that his children were already letting loose. He brought them both into his arms and cuddled up to them, "Samael, Slytherin is full of people who are all about blood status. They weren't too happy when they found out I was muggleborn, probably still won't be happy to find a half-blood there. As for Uncle Aaron..." he gave a pause to clear his throat from the lump of anger that had begun to well up in it. "Uncle Aaron, like Grandpa Ethan... is one such people that wish to keep wizarding blood pure. They weren't too happy that your mum ran off with me and even blame me for her dying, which we know isn't true. Both of them have been forbidden to see you two because one of them has already tried to kill you two. You're mum loved her family a lot, but it made her sad that they couldn't accept it... made me sad to see it all. Don't you want to go to school with Samael, Effie?"

Faith hummed and shrugged, "I'm not sure yet. I need time to think it over."

"Damian, I think its about time we call it a day."

"I haven't seen my children in a week upon my own choices. I think I have the right to make it up to them; I appreciate what you've done, father, but my children have always come before me."

Samael looked slightly intrigued. "Half-blood...I'm a half-blood, right?" he asked. "But aren't half-bloods like purebloods, if one of their parents is pureblood?" His brow wrinkled in confusion, and he sat in front of his father, thinking to himself, as Faith crawled up to Damien, sitting next to him and resting her head on his arm

"But you and Mommy don't care about that stuff, right?" she asked. "I wish we could see Uncle Aaron and Grandpa Ethan. They loved Mommy; why won't they love us?" She sniffled. "Who tried to kill us Daddy? Are they going to try again?"

"No, your mum and I never cared about blood status. For as long as I breath, no harm will come to you both. Your uncle Aaron tried many years ago... As for your grandfather, he wants nothing to do with you. Now... That's enough questions. Lets just enjoy the time we have here."

Samael seemed fascinated. "I almost died?" he asked, wide-mouthed. His eyes saddened. "Mommy would have been so sad if I had..."

A knock at the door interrupted his train of thought, and Samael ran to the window, surreptitiously peeking out. "Daddy, it's a man in some suit," he stage-whispered. "He's got a bag with him."

Damien whispered under his breath, "I'm not expecting anyone. COME IN!" He finally said with a booming voice, unlocking the door from where he was sitting.

The man stepped in once the door unlocked, removing the hat he'd been wearing. His graying brown hair was neatly combed back, his face cleanly shaven, and his tie and suit all crisp and neat. "Mr. Damien Kelmore, and the Kelmore family, I presume?" he asked. Not waiting for an answer, he continued. "The Ministry sent me to read the will of Ashley Kelmore, nee Selwyn. Unfortunately, you were...indisposed earlier this week, understandably. Is there somewhere we can sit for the reading, and is there anyone whom you would want as a witness to the reading?" His hazel eyes roved over the house, then studied Damien, taking in the disheveled appearance.

Damien had completely forgotten about will and the fact that she used to work for the Ministry. It was no surprise to him that this was going to happen, yet he almost feared what it would bring for him. He looked to his father, "Dad, you wanna stay for this or do you mind giving us a bit of privacy?"

"Of course, Damien. I'll go outside."

Damien nodded and motioned to the chair across from him and the kids, "here will be fine. I have no idea what the will says, it was my wife's explicit instruction for me to not read it. I hope she didn't leave anything for me as she's already given me more than anyone one person could."

He cleared his throat, taking the offered seat, " My name is Jeremy Haynes. I just need your signature here, and the names of your children here below...are you sure there is no one you wish present?" He pushed a document and self-inking quill towards Damien as he spoke.

Damien picked up the quill with a shaky hand and scribbled his name down and then those of his children, though they both quietly protested. They wanted to show off their own handwriting. The man nodded, taking back the paper, before pulling another paper from his briefcase. He opened the seal holding it shut, revealing the fine, elegant handwriting in Ashley's hand. "I will now read the contents of the will to you," Jeremy said softly. "This is from about a year ago:"

_"'My dearest Damien,'" he began. "'If you are reading this, then the worst has come, and I have passed on. I will always love you, my faithful husband. I am so grateful to have spent what time I had with you, and to have been able to share my life with you. Seeing how my life has played out, I know I would not change a thing, for it brought me and you together, and the fruits of our love are evident in the shining faces of our beautiful children. Words cannot describe the happiness that you have brought me. I have always known that I would die early; even now, a sense of foreboding fills me, and I can scarce keep my hand steady, knowing that my early death will bring grief and pain upon you and our family. I am so sorry. I love you._

_"'There are certain requests I have, and they are the last things I will ever ask for again. Damien, I want you to give my locket to Samael, you know, the one you gave me for my birthday. If I have any sort of warning about when my death is coming, then you will find a picture of our family taped underneath my drawer, in our wardrobe. It will be a recent one, so that he will always have our family close._

_"'Give my rings to Faith, both wedding and engagement, so she can have something special from her mum. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to watch her grow, and help her as she becomes an adult._

_"'And give Xander my helix necklace. He is still very young, and though I may live for a while longer, he may not be old enough to remember me much. Give him the necklace, to show him the love we held for each other._

_"'Damien, I know you and Aaron have hostility between you, but please...can you at least get a message to him? Tell him that though we parted on bad terms, I still love him, and he will always be my twin brother, no matter what. Tell my mother (and through her, my father) that I will always love them, and that I forgive them for what they did. Give Aaron my old teddy bear. You know the one you laughed at? That "ratty old thing" I stuffed under the bed? It was his first teddy bear, and he gave it to me when we first attended Hogwarts, because I was scared to be alone._

_"'And I haven't forgotten you, my love. Sure, whatever vaults I have are yours to do whatever you wish with. Maybe give one to Meghan; I hear she's fallen on hard times. And give her that silver bracelet she gave me, to remember me by. For you, Damien, I have left something in the care of the Ministry. It's a Golden Snitch...the very first one we competed for. It was the Snitch that started it all...our first hug, our first kiss, our first date, our first fight, our marriage, our first house, our first kid, our life together. Thank you for a wonderful life together._

_"'Always, your Ashley._

_Signed Ashley Kelmore.'"_

Upon the reading of the will, Damien maintained a rather calm demeanor about him despite the request for him to make nice with the in-laws for one last message. He listened intently at the message given by his late wife in the form of this letter; then it hit him. A slight twitch in his lip started to bring down his demeanor and when the man was finished he said shakily, "I had no idea she left the Snitch for me...Was there any instructions on finding it? Paperwork for the vaults at Gringotts? I would assume that you would have these things. The lockets that she speaks of are in the bedroom upstairs, but everything else, would be in your possession."

Jeremy gave Damien a sympathetic look, his eyes solemn as he looked at the kids watching with wide and sad, confused gazes. "I have everything right here," he said quietly. "I have the details about your late wife's vaults, inventory and everything; all you have to do is make an appointment with the goblins at Gringotts, and they'll get you set up. As for the Snitch..."

Wordlessly, he reached into the brief case once more, pulling out a cloth-wrapped bundle. "She left this in our care." He handed the package to Damien, knowing that the old ball of gold lay inside. Damien took the mass of cloth and ball in hand and slowly unwrapped it, revealing a faded gold thing whose wings were raggedy and weak. He knew that was probably from how many years she's kept the thing hidden from him and the fact that it no longer had its original master to be there for. It spread its raggedy wings and gave hard to flight as it struggled its way over to Damien and fluttered around him a moment before it rested against his chest. He started bawling at this sight, being comforted by his children, "without this, you would never have been born. Without this... We wouldn't have met and somehow your mother hid it from me or kept it somewhere. I will go grab those trinkets Ashley wanted me to grab."

"No need," said Ian with the jewelry box in hand, "I was listening to the whole thing."

Jeremy's eyes were slightly red, seeing the raw emotion that Damien had displayed. Clearing his throat uncomfortably, he pulled out the papers regarding the vaults, and set it on the edge of the table. "If there are any questions, feel free to come by the Ministry, and ask for Jeremy, Head of the Department of Law," he said quietly. "I will allow you to keep the original will if you wish. There are copies of it in our files."

Damien reached out for the paperwork, sliding it aside to look through it later on. He reached for the original will and took the jewelry box from his father, "I will take the original. It's the last writings my wife has left for me. All will be done as she asks." Damien reached into the box and grabbed the locket first, passing over to Samael, then the rings to Faith as he fiddled with the Snitch, "take extreme care of these... That's all I ask."

Faith accepted the rings with wide eyes, her eyes filling with tears, while Samael emotionlessly took the locket. His young face was blank, as he willed himself not to cry. This was the last trace of their mother...they would treasure these always.

"I want Mommy," Faith whimpered. Jeremy stood awkwardly.

"I'm going to go," he said, his voice trembling slightly. Under his breath, he mumbled something like, "They don't pay me enough for this." Keeping his composure, he gathered his things, coughed, then moved towards the door. "I can let myself out. Let me know if you have any further questions."


	24. Chapter 24: One Last Request

The storm wasn't going to be coming... it was already here. Damien stood in the downpour no more than a few feet away from the gate that lead into the Selwyn Manor, watching for movement from the interior. He mentally had to prepare himself for going to the door, knowing there would be some sort of confrontation. The lightning struck close, the blinding light didn't phase the man standing before the wrought gate. He checked to make sure his wand and his blade were within reach.

He pushed his way through the gateway, each step stomping hard back down to the stone pathway below due to the weight of the water. Drenched, cold and angry, he pushed his way to the door and gave two harsh knocks, leaving small dents within the wood.

A slow creak marked the opening of the door, to reveal a house elf blinking up at Damien. "Knobby knows you," he squeaked. "You was here with young Mistress once, wasn't you? Come right in; Knobby will goes and gets Mistress, he will." The elf opened the door a bit wider, as a voice rang out.

"Knobby, who is it?"

The elf studied Damien. "It's the young man that came for that Christmas that one time, with young Mistress," he called, turning as Diane appeared. Her face was cold.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded icily. Footsteps signaled the approach of another.

"Is someone disturbing you, Mother?"

"Aaron, go get your father," Diane said, without taking her gaze away from Damien. Aaron, not spotting Damien, had walked off without argument. "You're crazy for coming here," Diane snapped. "You have no reason to be here. Get out."

"I have business here with you three. The wishes of a loving wife and daughter... I don't want to be here as much as you don't want me here. I won't leave until I've fulfilled Ash's last request of me."

Diane's face softened with grief, but then hardened. "Go on then. Fulfill this 'supposed last wish'," she sneered. "What did Ashley want?" Her voice quivered slightly on her daughter's name.

Footsteps drew near, and Ethan's face appeared. As he caught sight of Damien, he paled with anger. "How dare you come anywhere near this house?" he growled, as a now equally angry Aaron came up from behind. Damien reached for a small bag from his hip and tossed it towards Aaron with some force, striking him dead in the chest. He placed his hands back on his hip, close by each of his weapons just as a precaution. "She wanted you to have this back and to say that she loved you, even if you hated us. Ash also asked of me to come here and to say that she forgives both of you for all that has happened in her life..."

When Damien threw the bag to Aaron, both Selwyn men had reached for their wands. Ethan's was drawn, while Aaron warily focused his attention on the contents. Even before he saw the bear, when his fingers brushed the patchy fur, his eyes dulled with grief and pain for his sister. The raw emotion couldn't be hidden by any mask. Not trusting himself to retain his composure, Aaron set the bag gently on a small side table, before turning back to Damien.

"I know she loved us," he spat. "Now get out. You've brought enough pain upon this family."

Ethan hadn't moved until now. When he'd seen Aaron's eyes cloud with sadness, he stiffened. "If it weren't for you, my daughter might still be alive," he snarled. "Your stupid alchemy must have affected her in some way. You abandoned her to go do your work, and you forced her to give up everything - her family, her status, her life - for a husband who couldn't save her from death. Get out of my house!"

He suddenly fired a Dark cutting hex at Damien, without any warning.

Damien stood rigid for a moment, waiting for them to make a move; once the cutting curse was let loose he moved faster than he ever did, shifting in place and taking several steps towards the family, "I GAVE UP EVERYTHING FOR HER! MY LIFE, MY WORK AND MY SOUL!" He let out a blood curdling war cry as he raised his hands and sent bolts of flames towards the elder Selwyn as the other hand called down lightning from the sky to strike the large house.

"My life was dedicated to her and yes I couldn't save her but I didn't see you doing anything to help her either you rat fucking bastard!" Aaron's form melted into smoke, as Damien launched lightning at his father. As Ethan dodged the flames, a small smirk crept over his lips. His wife had a smirk on her face as well, as she Apparated away.

The wards surrounding the manor deflected whatever lightning hit it, the roots of the house far too deep to be uprooted so easily. The blood magic surrounding it protected it. Ethan watched as a faint smoke trail appeared behind Damien, solidifying into Aaron. To distract Damien, Selwyn Sr. fired a Killing Curse, careful to avoid his son.

"Educo vivificus spiritus Ashley Selwyn," Aaron muttered, calling upon the spirit of Ashley to appear. A thin wisp of mist issued from the tip of his wand, solidifying into the image of his sister. He again disappeared into smoke, hiding himself from Damien, as Ethan looked past Damien.

The spirit of Ashley smiled softly. "Damien," she whispered, loud enough to be heard over the storm, "My love..."

Unseen, Aaron smirked, as he directed the Dark magic over her spirit. The sight of Ashley as a ghostly figure brought rage through his veins. Damien pushed himself out of the way of the curse and summoned more of the lightning from the skies. The strike rattled the very foundations of the manor as the protections fought valiantly against the onslaught until the enchantments started to glisten with blue and red sparkles.

Damien drew his wand and aimed at Aaron, "Ignus Solaris Maxima!" The combination of alchemy and magic whistled as a blue flame and a blinding light hurled towards the man then turning the wand onto Ashley, "Rest in Peace," surrounding the woman in a calming light.

Aaron once more dissipated into smoke, and the black smoke trail swooped out of the way of the flames and light, traveling in the manner of a Death Eater. His laughter echoed around the room, as Ethan pointed his wand at the fading image of Ashley. He muttered an unintelligible spell, and suddenly, a pained scream that sounded like his daughter rang out, as if she were being tortured.

Aaron had already steeled himself against the screams of pain, knowing his father was attempting to find Damien's breaking point. He reappeared for a moment, firing another cutting curse at Damien, before again turning to smoke and flying about the room. He continued to periodically stop and cast a curse, then keep moving. All the time, he was waiting. Any minute now...

Damien felt the sting of hurt and the anger rise so high in him that it began to overflow. The lightning strike became harsher as the enchantments began cracking; a hole finally opened giving way to harsh strikes upon the roof that sent splinters of wood and clay everywhere.

He ducked and dove through the barrage of spells trying to get clean sight on Ashley firing a spell at her spirit, "pace un veritas!" Seizing the screams and bringing another wave of calm over the woman as he brought his foot down to the floor sending a row of earthen spikes Ethan smirked one final time, and he cast a shielding spell, protecting himself as rubble rained down. The manor could easily be rebuilt, but provoking Damien...that was worth it. Aaron also cast a shielding spell, before a fox Patronus appeared amidst the chaos.

"They are here," Diane's voice rang out. The Patronus dissipated, right as Aaron solidified, casting another shielding spell, as Aurors burst into the room, followed by a smirking Diane.

Immediately, the Aurors moved towards Damien and surrounded him, each firing a stunner spell, as Aaron let the ghostly form of Ashley finally fade away. The traces of Dark magic were gone, as Ethan continued to dodge the damage.

The stunning spells had no effect on him as he continued to let loose a flurry of alchemy trying to kill the Selwyn Family for their crimes against him. It wasn't until a familiar hand grabbed him and knocked him across the head with a rather large knotted staff.

Damien growled and tried to attack the Aurors to continue attack the Selwyn's but the Aurors threw up shielding spells to be able to contain the man.

Ethan stared coldly at Damien, nothing but hatred in his eyes, as the head Auror fired yet another stunner, trying to bring down the alchemist.

"Keep fighting against us, and you will be guilty of more than trespassing, attacking innocents on their own property, threat to the security of said innocents, and destruction of private property," the man shouted at Damien. "You're only making it worse on yourself."

Behind Ethan, Aaron came to stand, an equally angry expression on his face, and Diane moved to stand beside her husband, her own wand drawn as she stared at Damien coldly.

Allister Moody, the friendly hand that had hit him, stood before him trying to get Damien to calm down by waving a hand to have the other Aurors to stand down. The lightning strike stopped and the sky let a heavy pouring of rain come down through the hole in the roof.

"Now lad... I know yer history with these people. Its bought time to relax. We don't want to make this any harder than it has to."

"Part of my wife's will asked me to visit and deliver a message. They attacked me..."

"Well we have to take ya in, Kelmore." One of the Aurors turned to the Selwyn's. "You attacked him?" he asked, as Ethan shook his head.

"I asked this man to leave my property, and he drew his wand. Thinking he was about to attack, I defended myself. He then proceeded to attempt to kill my son and myself, destroying my property in the process. Had my wife not gotten away and warned the Ministry, I shudder to think of the horrific things that might have happened. He had to have been using some sort of Dark magic or alchemy..."

Another Auror had been inspecting the damage. "There are faint traces of Dark magic," she confirmed. "Check their wands..."

The first Auror cast "Priori incantatum," but only the shielding spells, and a few stunners were revealed before the Auror terminated the spell.

He looked genuinely apologetic, as he said slowly, "I'm afraid things don't look so good for you, Mr. Kelmore. You attacked these people on their own property...and a highly respected family at that. People aren't going to be happy if they find out..."

Damien looked at the Selwyn's with hate brimming from his features as Moody let his hand move towards the man, "Kelmore... gotta have your wand. Don't make this hard or you'll end up ruining yer life. Think about yer kids..."

Damien handed over, watching Moody cast priori incantatum, watching as the cloud was darkened and red. Moody hid the wand into his pocket, "Damien, what is it you casted?"

He looked to the ground, "alchemy and magic combine. These idiots brought a soul back from the dead… Tortured it!"

"There isn't any evidence to support that, Damien. You're in trouble and my hands are tied! Dawlish, Kingsley arrest him."

As everyone's attention was diverted from them, all three of the Selwyn's wore smug smirks. Kingsley and Dawlish stepped forward, binding Damien quickly and securely, wearing apologetic expressions.

The female Auror turned back to the three, and Diane's expression turned to a faux sadness. "My house," she said softly, pretending to be sorrowful. "It's destroyed..."

"We will send someone to restore your house, Mrs. Selwyn," the Auror promised. Ethan lightly put an arm around his wife's waist.

"Don't worry, darling, we can get it back," he murmured in a comforting way.

His eyes contained hatred, and barely contained glee, as he stepped forward, jabbing a finger at Damien. "Don't ever come near any of my family again. You've brought enough pain and sorrow upon us...if I see you on my property again; I swear I will have you thrown in Azkaban! Even now, I have half a mind to press charges." He leaned closer, murmuring in an undertone that only Damien would be able to hear, "And who would protect your children then, hm? What if something...happened to them?"

He smirked slightly, then backed up. "Get him off my property. I'm going to fire call my lawyer and see what he thinks the best course of action would be. Until then, I'm pressing charges."

The head Auror nodded his head. "We'll see, Mr. Selwyn. We'll see. We'll take Mr. Kelmore with us and see what we can do."

As they prepared to take Damien, Aaron gave him a deadly glare. "I won't hold back next time," he growled. "Make sure I never see you again."

Before the Aurors could Apparate, he shifted out of his bindings and kicked Aaron in the chest before shifting away to get home. As the world became familiar to him again, Damien realized he was at home, running inside to check on his family. Once inside, he wiped his face of the blood that dripped down the side of his head and searched the front room. The sounds of shuffling feet startled the man as several alchemists made themselves known including the High General herself.

"Damien."

"Your Highness? What are you doing here?"

"Here for you're protections. We cover our own Damien. The Ministry will have a field day and send all the Aurors they want, but an alchemist you are and it is our Oath that guides us to protect our brothers and sisters."

Moody, guessing where Damien had shifted to, had decided to follow without telling his fellow Aurors where he was going. So it was that he'd Apparated to the Kelmore house right after the Alchemists had confronted Damien. Not bothering to knock, he pushed through the door, stopping short. He paled slightly, but his gaze fell on Damien.

"Kelmore, you've gone and done it. The Wizarding World is going to hear Selwyn's story by tomorrow. The Selwyn's are one of the most respected Wizarding families. People are going to hate you. Your Alchemist friends might be able to protect you for awhile, but eventually someone's gonna get at you or your kids." He shook his staff in a nonthreatening manner.

"You should lie low for awhile...make your house Unplottable, or get away and hide somewhere they can't find you. I'm breaking orders by warning you, but I couldn't stand by and do nothing. I'd hate to see Ashley's kids hurt, Kelmore." He stopped, eyeing the Alchemists warily.

"The Ministry can kiss my ass... they resurrected my wife and tortured her soul! I can't believe you're going to side with them over..." he started moving closer to Moody but McTavish grabbed him.

The High General motioned to have Damien brought to her as he started bawling into his friend's shoulder, "Mr. Moody, we will have enough evidence for you momentarily. We will retaliate if this isn't looked into. I will start by leveling the Selwyn Manor and its occupants."

Moody appeared calm, though his eyes flashed with anger. He looked over at the High General. "I believe him, Ma'am," he said coolly. "But I can't do anything about it. I'm sure that many people in the

Ministry are under Ethan's influence. He's bribed people before. And he's exceptionally good at lying or covering his tracks. I'm certain that even if you went to his house and searched, you would find nothing. He has a whole arsenal of Dark and Ancient Blood magic at his beck and call."

He glanced at Damien. "I'd like to look into things, but I can't without permission." Moody turned his gaze back to the High General. "I've got my hands tied here. I cannot do anything. And Ethan Selwyn knows that I can't, and that Damien can't. That's why he taunted him. That's why he raised Ashley's spirit and tortured it...because he wanted to let Damien know that the Selwyn's aren't afraid of him." He glared at his staff, as if it was Ethan Selwyn himself. "The man is vile and cunning. He may not be as powerful as you Alchemists are, but he's as dangerous as a viper, no mistake."

A young woman quickly ran in from the back yard holding a small glass ball with a silvery fluid swirling about. She heaved a heavy breath as she passed the ball over to the High General. The High General looked over the contents and offered it to Moody, "This is the collected memory of what happened, Mr. Moody. I had Damien followed when I found out he was asked to go there.

Moody accepted the glass ball, setting a protection charm over it to ensure it wouldn't break, before setting it in a small satchel he carried. "I will view the memory, and if it has sufficient evidence, I will use it in your defense, Damien, but keep in mind that the Selwyn's will fight this. They have an excellent lawyer, and I'm sure that he can twist things in their favor. But I'm rooting for you, mate." He sighed heavily. "I wish someone could teach that family a lesson, but no one is brave enough to actually do it," he muttered. "Wouldn't be surprised if they all turned out to secretly be Dark wizards and a Dark witch. Probably Necromancers too." He shuddered, before patting the satchel. "I'll get this to headquarters a.s.a.p. Is there anything else I can do?"

"See the truth through the lies, Mr. Moody. That will be all. You and I will be in touch soon enough."


	25. Chapter 25: The New Life

The incident at the Selwyn Manor was left unanswered, much to Ethan Selwyn's rage, due to the evidence brought on by the Vanguard against the Selwyn's. Even with his political reach, he was left almost speechless once the Ministry made it clear Damien was innocent, though he was having to use that same clout to keep himself and his son out of Azkaban. He did, however, leave his mark…

Damien had moved out of the house he lived in with Ashley and the kids after a few months, needing to find a way to get over her. Ashley was his world and then the children were born and the world expanded, but she was still at the center. He had the old house made Unplottable and locked up so only one person could enter, which he left to his old partner Ryan McTavish. There was a small house in Sussex County and got himself a small job as a pharmacist, one of the only jobs he could do easily with his advanced knowledge in potions and chemistry.

The Muggle world was still wonderfully oblivious to the Wizarding World. None of the workers at Brett's Drugstore knew that they had an Alchemist of the Vanguard in their midst. Heck, they didn't even know he was a wizard, and could easily destroy them with a flick of his wand.

All they knew was that the quiet, brooding man had appeared quite awhile back, supposedly after the death of his beloved wife, wanting to escape the life he'd made with her. During that time, he had proved friendly enough, at least in the eyes of James Hardin. James had found it easy to be friendly to Damien Kelmore, and had even found friendship in the man.

So it was that when Damien showed no signs of getting over his mourning, that James became concerned and decided to step in.

Enter Amy. Amy Gregory was a petite woman, with warm brown eyes and light brown hair. James happened to know that Amy had developed a liking for Damien, but was too shy to really talk to him. But James knew that if she could go on a date with Damien, it would make her day. And maybe Amy was what Damien needed to heal over his loss. As a friend, James wanted to do something to help.

Finally, one slow afternoon, James mentioned his idea. "Hey, Damien," he said nonchalantly. "You're friends with our coworker, Amy, right?"

Damien had spent the past 4 years trying to get over Ashley buy not using any alchemy or magic. Didn't help that his own children, Faith and Samael were both accepted and enrolled into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Since he first started his job as one of the main pharmacists at the drugstore, he was almost able to forget the stupid troubles he used to get in, but the one most important still remained. Ashley.

He had just finished helping a customer when his friend turned to him with an odd question, "I suppose. Get along just fine and she's kinda cute."

Jeremy grinned. Perfect.

"Funny you should say that. She thinks you're kinda cute too." He sidled up to Damien. "You know, I don't remember the last time you went out on a date, Damien. I think it's time you get out, have a little fun, get to know a nice girl. You should ask her out." He smiled winningly, hoping his friend would agree.

Damien turned his head to look at young woman being offered to him by Jeremy. Once he finished the pill order for an elderly man standing before him, he thanked him and handed over the bag, turning back to Jeremy to continue talking, "I dunno, Jeremy. It's been almost 15 years since I have had to 'woo' any one. I'm not completely over Ash yet either, can't get over her. Every time I look at my children, I see her in them and I'm just not sure it's a good idea to bring someone into my life with my children the age they are."

A middle age woman had walked up to the counter and cleared her throat, "Damien? I honestly think you deserve the happiness you once had. The stories you told me of Ashley, I'm sure you deserve to be happy for the kind of devotion you payed to her."

"Thank you, Mrs. Ross, but... I'm not sure I'm ready to date again."

Jeremy eyed Damien, not ready to give up yet. As Mrs. Ross spoke, he filled another prescription bottle for her, before sliding it across the counter to her, bagged and everything. "I think Mrs. Ross is right," he continued. "Anyways, how do you know you're ready to date again or not? You never really know 'til you go on at least one date...who knows? Maybe you'll like her, and your kids will like her. Or if not Amy, then another woman." He leaned against the counter.

"Come on, mate, live a little. How long has it been since Ashley… you know? Two, maybe three years?"

"Almost four."

"Four years is a long time...you've got to keep your charms in good condition." He grinned. "Please? Just one date...?"

Damien finished another order as he mulled the idea over before giving in, "fine, fine... on the condition that I pay. Just this once, okay."

Jeremy did an inward fist pump, the only outward sign of his victory being a large grin. "Great! You're a trooper, mate." He clapped Damien on the shoulder. "Amy's a nice girl...I think you'll like her."

Damien forced a smile, feeling as if he betrayed Ashley somehow by this. He looked back to his work, keeping his voice down as he spoke," yeah, right. Can you ask her to come here then?"

Jeremy nodded, and walked around the counter, calling to Amy. She looked up expectantly, and smiled shyly at Damien as she walked over. "Hey," she said. "Did you guys need something?" Every so often, she would glance at Damien quickly.

Just as Jeremy was nudging Damien, a bell rang, indicating a customer. Jeremy sighed, and went to go help the young woman that had entered.

She peered through her hair, her eyes alighting on Damien. For a moment, her eyes dulled with sorrow, before they sharpened. The woman took in the slightly ill-looking expression on Damien's face, then at the blushing young woman, then to the grinning Jeremy who was watching them. In an instant, she guessed what was going on.

'Not on my watch,' she thought.

"Damien!" she said loudly, marching over to him and subtly moving between him and the other woman. "I've been looking everywhere for you." Meghan's eyes twinkled with amusement, as she lightly touched his arm, hoping to send a message to whoever this other girl was. "So, I've been doing some thinking about our little fight, and I just want to say...I forgive you, and I'm sorry for being so rude to you. I hope I can make it up to you? Maybe buy you dinner or something?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Meghan noticed the other male clerk's confused expression, then at the other woman's suspiciously blank face. She turned her gaze back to Damien, willing him to remember her.

Damien stuttered over his words before he could catch himself, clearing his throat to begin again, "well... Amy. I wanted to know if..." but his words were cut off by the sound of the door bell ringing. He took a quick glance then turned back to Amy, but instead of seeing Amy, he was staring at a face full of Meghan.

Calmly, though his inner thoughts were to scream, he gave Meghan a slight nudge towards the door, giving a low chuckle and an awkward smile, "hehe. You're such the kidder, Meghan. Can I talk to you outside?" He grabbed her arm and headed towards the backdoor.

Meghan's cheerful expression dropped for a moment, but she was then nodding vigorously, the bright smile back on her face. "Sorry," she said apologetically to the other woman, not really meaning it. As soon as the door had closed behind them, Meghan whirled to Damien, keeping a smile on her face for the benefit of Jeremy and Amy.

"That had better not have been what I think it was," she said slowly. "I'd like to think I rescued you...or did you want to be in that situation?"

"I honestly believe that that is none of your business. I was just having a conversation with a coworker, if you must know. What in he'll are you doing this far out into the muggle world anyway?" He said, reaching into his pocket for a small box of cigarettes, pulling one out along with a matchstick.

For a moment, indignant anger flashed in Meghan's eyes, but she shrugged it off, instead watching distastefully when Damien pulled out a cigarette. He'd changed so much from the man who'd married her best friend, she thought.

"I came looking for you," she said after a moment. "It'd been awhile, and I wanted make sure you were alright. Good thing I did too. Kept you from making a mistake. Unless that was your way of being alright." Meghan folded her arms.

"One could say that this is me still mourning. It's been four years, Meghan. Everyday I'm alive brings one more day that I have to miss her with everything that I am." He said taking a long drag and blowing away smoke. "Everyone seems to think I could use the extra bit of sanity by... well dating again."

Meghan crossed her arms. "I know," she said simply. "I loved her like a sister. I may not know exactly what you feel...but I know it's painful." Her eyes were sorrowful for a moment. "But you can go on living your life, without forgetting her. The pain fades eventually, leaving you with happy memories to live on." She frowned. "And since when do you let others tell you what's good for your sanity? One, you've never been sane; you went against one of the most influential wizards, for Merlin's sake! Two, will dating another woman really help?" She glanced at the store. "I mean, if you know that woman well, then fine. By all means, date her. But do you ever talk to her? Like you talked to Ashley? I'm all for you dating, Damien; maybe it would help. But wait for a girl that's worth it to come along." She inspected her nails. "Don't just date someone because your friend told you to."

Damien took in more of the cigarette, flicking the butt into the street before turning on Meghan, "You have no idea what it's like for me, do you? I don't think anyone has a fucking idea of what I've had to go through. Every. Night. I haven't had a good night's sleep in 4 years and that last fight I had with my in-laws left me kind of scarred up as they tortured her soul right in front of me, if it really was her. I smoke not because I enjoy it, but because it keeps me from hyperventilating, so I really don't smoke all the time. My day consists of dropping Alexander off in the morning to my mum and dad's, coming here until about 6pm, grab Alexander, make dinner, put him to bed and working until I fall asleep in my office; all because I can't sleep when Ash isn't around."

"I have every right to just be at peace for once... whether that's getting a good nights sleep or keeping my friends and coworkers off my back because they want me to date someone so I don't look so perturbed. Tell me Meghan, do you actually know what I'm going through or are you just trying to help me for your own sake? I'm sure you don't remember what happened at Hogwarts."

Meghan's eyes flashed first with anger, then confusion. "What happened at Hogwarts?" she echoed. "When Aaron attacked you and Ash? I remember that..." Again, anger flared in her eyes. "You don't think I've suffered too, Damien? I knew Ash way before you did; we were like sisters! You aren't the only one who loved her, Damien. We were close. I don't know why we weren't as close during seventh year, but before you came along, we were inseparable." Tears flooded her eyes now, and Meghan resisted the urge to storm away childishly.

"I know you miss her, Damien, and I know you loved her enough that you can't function the same without her...and she would have been the same way." She jabbed a finger towards the drugstore window. "That's why I'm stopping you from talking with this woman. If it's only to get your coworkers off of your back, then that's the wrong reason. One, it will end up hurting that poor girl when the relationship dies, having raised her hopes for nothing. Two, it could potentially hurt you too. I'm not doing this for myself; I'm doing it for Ashley. She wouldn't want you to make a mistake, and end up even more despondent because of it." The tears flooding her eyes began to fall, and Meghan roughly wiped them away. "I'm the only one that cares enough to look out for you, Damien. Ashley's family hates you, and everyone else is too busy moving on with their lives, to make sure you're okay, like Ash would have wanted. But if you're going to be such a git, then maybe I shouldn't. Maybe I should just walk away, and let you make mistakes, and let you wallow in your grief, and let your kids grow up with a depressed father." Angrily, Meghan whirled around, turning her back to Damien, hiding her tearing eyes.

He reached over and grabbed Meghan's shoulder, turning her around slowly, "Meghan... I'm sorry. Things have been hectic... I understand what you're saying. Come here, please…"

Meghan tensed when she felt him grab her shoulder, but she then relaxed slightly. She was still wiping her eyes roughly, as she turned around. "Why do you do that?" she whispered. "Why do you lash out at the people who are trying to help you?" Pain flickered in her eyes. "You make it seem like I don't miss her enough...that I don't hurt enough."

"I honestly don't know anymore. I'm having such a hard time that it's been a struggle. I just push people out so that I don't have to deal the pain of it all."

Meghan dropped her gaze, staring at the ground blindly. "That's the fastest way to becoming bitter," she murmured. "And by letting people in, I've managed to heal enough." She looked up. "Did you know I couldn't bear the idea of seeing you again? I didn't think I'd be able to handle it. But I talked to someone who gave me comfort when I needed it. That comfort helped me to get to the point where I was strong enough to say her name, without breaking down. And now...here I am. I'm talking to you, and the only reason I'm upset now is because you've changed."

He looked to the floor, holding back a tear and reaching for his cigarettes. As he reached for his lighter he second guessed himself and snapped his fingers, sparking a small flame at the tip, "I haven't done that in years... magic or alchemy. I'm so sorry Meghan..."

Meghan managed to pull herself together, drawing in a deep breath. "You shouldn't be doing anything of the sort in the open," she said quietly, turning away from him. "I know you're sorry...but sorry is just that. An apology. It doesn't change the fact that you've completely lost who you were...who Ashley helped you become." She turned anguished eyes on him. "Once I'm gone, is everything I've said going to go to waste? Are you going to go back to leading your now-meaningless life? Or are you going to live it like Ashley would have? Trying to make the best of each day, and trying to be strong for your children?"

Damien remained silent for a moment, not bothering to light his cigarette, "stop by tomorrow, at my house. I'll make dinner, but this is something I need to talk to someone about."

Meghan sighed. "I'll be there," she said slowly. "What time and where do you live?" She glanced at the drugstore, noting how the people inside had finally turned away, and hopefully had not seen the flame flickering on Damien's fingertips. "I'll be more than happy to talk to you," Meghan murmured quietly.

"About 30 minutes from here... I can write down the address for you," he said grabbing a pen from his sleeve and a small notebook to write his address, "It would be best that come early afternoon"

Meghan accepted the address quietly. "I'll be there," she promised softly. "Do you want me to bring anything? And are there any Muggles around to keep me from Apparating there?"

"Not really, but just to be safe, Apparate into my back yard. The backdoor will be open so you can just walk right in." He whispered as he passed over the strip of paper into her hand.

"I gotta get back in there, or everyone get suspicious."

Meghan nodded. "I will see you tomorrow," she murmured. She began to walk away, before calling over her shoulder, "Oh, and Damien? I don't think she's the kind of girl for you. She's too sweet looking. Find a real spitfire...that is more up your alley." With a small smile, she disappeared into a nearby alley, a loud crack the only sign of Apparition.

He smiled slightly as he put away his cigarette and walked back into the store, straightening up his smock and pulling out a piece of bubble gum. Once he was prepared, he unlocked the pharmacy door and walked over to Amy, "hey. Can we talk?"

Amy turned, from where she'd been stocking the shelves. She looked up at Damien with wide eyes. "Of course...do you want to talk outside, or are we fine here?" She smiled slightly.

"Right here is fine. Let's go out tonight, like right after work. Screw getting fancy and let's go to pub or something."

Amy blinked. Okay, so it wasn't as romantic as she'd hoped...but it would do. "Y-yeah sure," she said, recovering quickly with a smile, "That sounds alright. Where is this pub? Is it a decent place?"

"Well, uh… its not a fancy restaurant, but it is respectable. I mean if you would like to go to a fancy restaurant, then we can, but I was hoping we could try something different. You know what? Let's go to my house. I'll cook you something."

Amy shrugged. "I don't mind," she said, smiling. "Dinner at your place sounds wonderful." And a lot better than a pub, she thought privately. "So...after work then?" She blushed slightly, looking down. "Yeah. After work, if that is fine with you. Oh, and don't worry about that lady that came in today, she was a friend of my late wife's that is just trying to look out for my interests." He grabbed her hands into his, giving a happy squeeze and a smile that no one at the store had ever seen on his face. He took in a deep breath and shook his head, chuckling for some reason, "whoa. Never thought that I could feel real again. Never thought I could feel this good in a long time. I feel different... like I don't... I need to get back into the swing of my old routine."

Amy smile nervously at first, then her smile brightened. "That's a good friend, if she's checking in on you. She seems to have done some good already." She smiled even wider as he took her hands, giggling a little. "I'm glad you're feeling happier," she said shyly. "You have a nice smile."

"Thanks. I'll catch up with you when we're off. Got a line forming out in front of the window there."

After Work

Damien looked for somewhat fashionable clothing to wear when he came across a black tunic he had from years back. He slipped it on and fussed with his hair a moment before running back downstairs to finish cooking.

Amy looked up as Damien reentered the kitchen, and let out a near-silent breath of relief. She felt slightly awkward just hanging around doing nothing, especially when alone. "Do you need help with anything?" she asked, giving a small smile. "Or no? You look nice by the way."

Damien smiled and tried to fix his appearance a bit, picking up the spatula to turn the shrimp, "I have the food in control, though if you'd like, you can go to the rack over there and choose a wine? Whichever you prefer will be fine with me."

He reached for a lime and some salt cutting it open with a knife and spraying juice all over the pan, "I hope you didn't mind me being so outright. Just something Meghan said to me that made me think. I hadn't known you'd had a fancy for me until Jeremy said so and well, let's just say its been a while for me since I've ever had to ask anyone out on a date.

Amy smiled, and moved to the wine rack, finally picking out a white wine, before coming back to the counter and setting the bottle down. "It's alright," she said, blushing slightly. "I'm rather glad Jeremy broke his vow to keep silent though...this is nice, even if it is sudden." She smiled. "So...is Meghan an old friend?"

"Yeah," he said with a sigh," my late wife and I knew her back in grade school. When I came into the picture, Meghan tried to split me and Ashley up so she could have me to herself. Didn't really work to her favor though. A lot of things happened between then and now. Kind of miss those times, you know. So, tell me, what brings a charming girl like you to work at such a hole in the wall. Sure you coulda gotten a job at some big company or larger drug store?

Amy made a face, but quickly covered it up with a smile. "I'm glad you worked everything out," she said sweetly. "Drama like that is never good." She looked down at the food he was cooking. "Well, my uncle used to be a druggist, so I started working in his drugstore, then moved on. I always liked the idea of a friendly neighborhood pharmacy, so I applied for a small drugstore, as a clerk. And here I am." She laughed slightly. "So...do you have a background in pharmaceutical products?"

"Something likes that. I was in the military for a while before I came into the business of pharmaceuticals. I was referred to it by a friend."

Amy raised an eyebrow, impressed. "A military man," she said in an admiring tone. "What rank did you hold?" She leaned forward, propping her elbows on the edge of the counter.

"Tactical officer. Special ops, if you must know. Did a lot of bad things when I was younger, then they uh, had me train new recruits. I wont lie, I enjoyed the work, but once Ash was sick..." he broke off, forcing himself to stay calm.

"Dinner's done. Let's eat."

Amy nodded, slightly uncomfortable when he spoke about his late wife. She was gone; so why wouldn't he just let go and move on? She nodded. "I can help you carry the dishes over," she offered, eager to get away from the subject of his wife.

With her help, he moved the food over to the table, decorated simply with a few irises from the garden and a pair of candles. Damien set the remaining food on a tray on the table, then pulled Amy's chair out.

"I had called my parent's to make sure they wouldn't mind taking care of my son until tomorrow. Alexander just loves it with his grandpa and grandma."

Amy flashed him a grateful smiled when he pulled her chair out. "So, tell me about your children?" she asked softly, sitting. "How old are they again?" She waited for Damien to sit, looking over at him.

Damien took his seat across from her, pouring a glass of wine for her, "Alexander is six years, getting big he is. Then there's Ashley Faith and Samael, my twins; their fourteen. Hardly get to see them because they're at a boarding school.

Amy smiled. "They sound wonderful," she said. "Are Ashley Faith and Samael starting to hit that difficult patch most teens go through? Are they doing well in their school?"

"From what I know, Faith has had nothing but the best time at school, Samael however is having a bit of a problem. Its been like that since their mother died, so I have been trying to help him through that. He gets into a lot of fights." He took a forkful of pasta and shrimp and took a bite, savoring the flavors. He gave an approving hum, finished his bite and continued, "from last I heard though, Faith said she found a boyfriend and she can't wait for me to meet him

Amy chewed thoughtfully, also enjoying the food. "This is tasty," she complimented, before returning to the subject. "I'm sure Faith is thrilled with the idea of having a boyfriend," she laughed. "The first boyfriend is always exciting. But Samael...does he not have friends that can help keep him in line?"

"I dunno. I hardly ever hear from him. Most of what I hear about him comes from Effie. She says most of the kids in his dorm tease him. I remember having to fly out to the school to handle some pretty nasty business involving a few kids getting sent to the infirmary."

Amy looked sympathetic. "I'm sure he'll come around eventually...have you considered asking to have him put in a different dorm?"

He looked up from his meal to take a sip of wine, "I have and the headmaster has looked into it. It really doesn't matter which dorm they move him to, he's just brash. I think once this school year is finished, I may end up having to home school him.

Amy nodded. "It must be difficult," she murmured picking up her glass and swirling it. "But he's got to go back to normal before too long. Maybe he just needs to find a friend. That's what usually happens," she smiled, sipping her wine.

He smiled, gazing deep into Amy's eyes, searching her feelings and thoughts. After a few moments of silence, he spoke up, "so what brought a fancy for me to you, if you don't mind me asking? I must admit, you have gorgeous eyes.

Amy blushed. "Well, you are very attractive, which first caught my eye. Its also not very often that you meet someone who has white hair at so young an age," she admitted. "And, I kind of wanted to know what it would be like if I could make you smile. You have a very nice smile," she added. "Plus, you looked so sad...I hate seeing people sad."

"My hair is a genetic thing. Most of my family has it; we grow up with white hair and as we get older, it turns dark. And the kind of work I did when I was younger, it wears on you greatly. I'm surprised I have been able to smile for anyone other than my children."

Amy nodded. "I'm glad I can make you smile," she said happily.

Once dinner was done, Damien picked up the dishes and leftover food, leaving it in the kitchen for the morning. He went back into the living room and looked over Amy with a smile, "I know this wasn't much of a date, last minute and all, but, maybe you'd care to dance?"

Amy smiled. "Oh, this was just fine," she said reassuredily. "A dance would make it even more perfect." She laughed, twirling a little. "Dancing is a great idea."

Damien walked to a small desk and flipped through a collection of LPs that he had, pulling out some smooth jazz out. He slipped out the LP and placed it on the record player, turning it on and walking over to Amy with a smile, "shall we dance?"

Amy smiled coyly, as the music filled the air. "Yes, we shall," she said with a gentle laugh, offering her hand, to allow herself to be led into the dance

Damien took her hand and pulled her close, taking a few steps before twirling her and leading into a dip. As he picked her back up, she was drawn in closer than he thought she would have been, leaning in to give her a soft kiss.

Amy giggled softly as he pulled her in close, but her breath was quickly drawn away, as he twirled her. Suddenly, his face was near hers, and his lips touched hers softly.

She had thought he would never notice her, but to find herself kissing him...it was more than she could ever dream of. She closed her eyes, returning the kiss softly. This was perfect...

He felt her lips press back against his, pulling away after a moment to be able to catch his breath. "Wow... that was... was great! Should we do that again?"

Amy smiled shyly at him, catching her breath as well. "I know," she murmured. "I really, really like you, Damien," she breathed, before pressing her lips against his once more.

"I know... I like you too. " He said between kisses, running a hand across her back, "are you ok with this?"

Amy nodded breathlessly, as he kissed her back. Her hands came up to tangle in his hair as they kissed, and she held him close to her, pressing nearer to him. "I'm more than okay," she whispered.

He danced and kissed her harder, working towards the stairwell, tripping onto the stairs with Amy on top of him. "This is crazy. Never thought that I'd be doing this again."

Amy nuzzled his neck as they tripped, and she propped herself slightly up, so she wasn't pressing him into the stairs. "Never thought I'd get you to notice me, and yet here we are," she said coyly. "I can do more than just make you smile..." She kissed his jaw gently.

Damien smirked as he rolled over, "if we're really going to do this, let's go upstairs."


	26. Chapter 26: The Night and the Day

Meghan checked the thing around her wrist. A watch, if she knew the correct Muggle term. It was still rather early, but she didn't think Damien would mind. After all, he had wanted to talk. The more time they had the better.

She quickly Apparated behind his house, and knocked on the window. In case there was an open window, she called, "Damien? You there? It's Meghan..."

Damien rustled around in the bed for most of the morning feeling, recovering from the activities from the night. His eyes struggled to stay open as he wiped sleep from his eyes to look around the room. As he turned over, he realized he'd not been wearing clothing and the warmth emanating from the sheets made him feel at peace again. He placed his arm around the source, spooning for some time, "morning Ash."

After a moment, he shook his head in confusion and pulled the sheet back a tiny bit to reveal Amy. It all came back to him, the night's activities and he realized it was all fun. Maybe he had worked out whatever it was that he needed to get over to be able to move on.

A knocking on the back door reminded him that he'd invited Meghan over. He fell out of bed quickly, grabbing his pajama pants, grabbed his wand from the inside of the night stand and ran downstairs to the back door, "Meghan! Good to see you here bright and early." He turned to look at the coffee pot. "Half past 11? What the hell? Come on in and thanks for coming over." He slipped the wand into his pocket as she entered.

Meghan raised an eyebrow at Damien's retire, but fought back a snicker. "Sorry if I woke you," she apologized, stepping into the house. "But you look better. Get enough sleep?"

Amy awoke, hearing voices. She recognized the voice from yesterday, and her eyes widened. She quickly got up and got dressed as quietly as possible, before making the bed. She then sat down, and debated on whether to go downstairs, or just stay. Meghan hadn't seemed to like her yesterday, what with the glares and all..."Yeah... wonderful night's sleep. Wants some coffee? Can you tell me why your here so early?"

Meghan nodded at the coffee offer. "I'd love some." She shrugged. "I don't know. Sorry if it's too early, but I just figured, the more time we had to talk, the better. I didn't know how long we would go, and I have things to do tomorrow. Plus," here she looked excited. "I got accepted as an Auror. So, they want me to be alert at all times. 'Constant Vigilance' as Ol' Mad Eye likes to say these nowadays. They're going to do random drills and such, to test my alertness. But don't worry...they won't do it here. Because of your Muggle neighbors."

"You would think that, but that's not the case..." he said with a kind of venom in his voice, "I can tell you the real reason they won't come here, but you may not believe me."

He pulled out his wand, waving over the coffee machine as he offered her a chair at the table, "any who, I took your advice yesterday. I mean seriously listened and accepted it and you know what. You're right."

Meghan eyed him. "The real reason?" she asked. "Do I want to know?" She sat, giving him a grateful nod. "And which part of my advice did you take? I'm not sure I remember..."

"Yeah I really want to know," he said looking back to the stairwell, hoping Amy wouldn't walk down right now. He kept an eye on the stairs, speaking to Meghan again, "and it was on moving on with Ashley..."

Meghan eyed the stairs, following his gaze. Her eyes narrowed. "On moving on, hmm?" she asked suspiciously. "You must have thought late into the night about it, explaining why you're up so late this morning." She crossed her arms. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

"Kinda. You won't hate me if I said I asked that woman from work out?"

Meghan eyed the stairs again, as realization struck her. "You didn't," she said flatly. With a sigh, she pinched the bridge of her nose with two fingers, her eyes scrunched up. "I gave you that piece if advice for a reason," she muttered, half to herself. "Well, you seem happy enough now...so maybe she did a little more good than I thought..."

She opened her eyes, looking up at him, and now lowering her voice, "But what if it doesn't end well?" she asked. "Have you told her what you are? Does she know what kind of school the twins go to? How will she react? Can you deal with her reaction, even if it's negative? Would you be able to Obliviate her? You do realize you can't tell her anything unless you plan on marrying her. She could tell anyone. This causes a whole slew of problems, Damien..." She leaned back in her chair. "But no...I don't hate you, nor do I blame you...I can understand your reasons."

"I'm hoping that when the time comes for such discussions to arrive, it'll be easier for us to have it. What she knows is that my kids are off at a boarding school and I used to be in the military. I think that's a fair enough trade on that swap of info." He reached across the table and placed his hand gently on hers, patting it with confidence.

"In all honesty, I don't like the quiet life. It's too... droll. Needs more excitement. More… surprises, I suppose is the better way to put it. I haven't been this emotional in years. Just sadness for me, but now," he paused looking up with a devious grin, "Now, I've got something to do."

Meghan snorted, but let him continue speaking. "And how will your children feel about this?" she muttered to herself, before raising her voice so he could hear more clearly. "I agree. Just sitting around and living a quiet life was never meant for you. You have too much energy, too much life for that. Try to get back to being active, and try to do things you used to do. It helps, I promise. My life has a semblance of normalcy now." She smiled.

"Well I'm glad you found some sort of normalcy, still working on mine. As for my children, I'm not sure what they will think. Hoping it will be nothing but good things, but know Samael, he'd be angry about it. Faith will be happy that I'm happy and well, Xander is too young for such things."

Meghan nodded. "Be careful with Samael," she said softly. "He may seem angry and tough, but inside, he's just a young, scared, and hurting boy. He just needs some extra love."

"I try Meghan, but without Ashley he's very much a wiley sort. He's been pushing me away since she died."

Meghan was about to reply, when she heard the steps creak. She looked up to see the woman from yesterday peering out nervously. "Come on in," she said, in a deceptively sweet voice. Inwardly, she was eyeing the woman, trying to see if she would be a woman that the kids could like as well. She seemed nice enough...

Amy warily stepped into the kitchen, looking up at Damien then to Meghan. "Morning," she said slowly. "I'm Amy...you must be Meghan."

Meghan nodded, but didn't further acknowledge the woman. "Morning, I brewed some coffee. We were just catching up on old times. Talking of work and things. How'd you sleep?"

Amy relaxed a little, slipping cautiously over to Damien, so the table was between her and Meghan. "I slept fine...you?" she asked. "It's nice of you, Meghan, to check up on Damien. He needs someone to look out for him." Meghan nodded with a tight smile.

He placed his hand gently onto Amy's, smiling to her, "slept the best I have I years, thanks to you. What time do you work today?"

Amy smiled, lacing their fingers together. "I start work in the afternoon today," she said. "About 2:30 or so. Thank goodness for afternoon shifts." She sat beside him, as Meghan shifted positions.

"Should I go?" Meghan asks coolly. "I don't want to intrude on your morning..."

"Maybe if you could do me a favor and pick up Xander, I would greatly appreciate it. You've been to my dad's house before I believe. We have some business to discuss."

Meghan nodded shortly, her face brightening slightly at the prospect of seeing Xander again. "Alright. I'll head over there, then. I'll be back in about half an hour." She glanced at the two, before saying, "I can let myself out." She made her way to the door, planning to find an alley to Apparate safely from.

Amy watched her go. "Did she give you a hard time about me?" she asked self-consciously. "'Cause I don't think she likes me very much."

"Don't worry too much about her; she's just mad that it's not her where you're sitting right now. She's always wanted a chance to go out with me. She's just trying to find an excuse for me to go out with her, which is fine and all, but she should have been a bit more timely about it all. So, I have a serious question for you and I really want you to think about it. Do you want to be here when she comes back from picking up Xander? This is my youngest and he's quite the charmer, but I know we've only gone out on one date and I'm not sure whether or not you'll be comfortable with that.

Amy frowned. "She didn't look like she was jealous," she commented, "More like she was afraid of something. Losing the friendship she had with you, maybe? You really should confront her on whether she still has feelings for you or not." She thought for a few moments. "Yes, I would love to meet Xander, and maybe I can watch him while you talk things over with Meghan?"

"If you're sure about that then that's what we'll do."

Half hour later:

Damien made brunch for him and Amy, consisting of eggs, pancakes and bacon. He watched the clock to make sure he had time before Xander and Meghan got there. Once done with breakfast he cleaned up and came up behind Amy, rubbing her neck and kissing her cheek, "if you need to, there's a shower upstairs and some clothing in a dresser you might be able to fit into."

Amy nodded. "I'll be down in a little bit," she said with a smile. "Thanks." She kissed his cheek, before heading upstairs. There was a knock at the front door, where Meghan was waiting, holding Xander.

"You're getting too big to be carried," Meghan chuckled, poking Xander's stomach. "You're a big boy now."

Xander giggled hysterically, trying to keep Meghan from poking him. He tried to tickle her back, but the sight of his father answering the door made him squeal and jump from her arms to his.

"Daddy, daddy, look who I found! I found Aunty Megmeg!"

"I see that!"

Meghan was laughing as the door opened, and she grinned happily at Damien. "He's gotten so big!" she said admiringly. "I've missed the little guy." She again pretended she was going to tickle Xander again, eliciting another squeal from the boy.

Xander squirmed with another fit of hysteria, grabbing her hand to keep away from him, "Daddy! Help, she's trying to tickle me!"

"You're old enough to keep tickling away. Sorry, son, but you're on your own."

"Traitor!" He yelled as he continued to hold back the hand, laughing all the while Meghan chuckled once more. She poked him a few more times, before tapping his nose affectionately. "Silly. It's funny when I tickle you." She smiled, before turning to Damien. "Shall we talk, then?"

"Sure. Amy offered to play with Xander while we talk, so once she's out of the shower, she'll take him. First, though, I want to know how you found me."

Meghan shrugged. "Auror training gave me the extra edge," she said slowly. "But it was still difficult. I guess I could have always tracked down the twins, and asked them, but I figured they didn't know exactly. Somehow, I managed to find your magical signature, and traced it to a twenty mile radius, including here. After asking around, I soon managed to locate the town. Then finally, I stumbled upon that drugstore." She sighed. "You are very difficult to find...you know that? Especially when you hide amongst Muggles. You can't exactly go around asking people if they know an alchemist."

Footsteps from within signaled Amy's approach, and Meghan let her voice trail off. The woman appeared her hair damp, but not dripping. "Aww is this Xander?" she cooed. "Hey, buddy!"

Xander eyed the woman cautiously and with interest before hopping out of Meghan's arms, "daddy says never talk to strangers but if you know my daddy then it would be fair enough for me to say 'hi, I'm Alexander. Now what's your name so we aren't strangers?" He said with a matter-of- factly tone and a hand out to shake with.

Amy chuckled. "My, what wonderful manners you have," she said with delight. "My name is Amy. I'm a friend of your daddy's." She smiled sweetly at him, taking the smaller hand in hers and shaking it.

"Cool! Daddy, I like her. She's cute!" He said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Damien smiled and pointed to the backyard, "Xander, Amy offered to go play with you while Aunty "Megmeg" and I had a serious conversation. Will you behave for her?"

"Yes sir!" He said, snapping a salute.

Amy laughed. "C'mon, Xander. Let's go play tag." She took the little boy's hand in hers, as Meghan watched them head off.

"Glad a least he's fond of her," Meghan said softly. "He's getting too big too fast. I remember when he was first born..." She sighed, before entering the house after Amy. "So...was there something in particular you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes... and it started with you finding me. I made it hard to be found because of an incident 4 years ago involving good ol' Mad Eye and the Selwyn's. I took my house off the map and stopped using magic to keep it that way... and that is how it is to be kept."

Meghan waved her hand. "The Selwyn's don't have any contact with me. So don't worry about them. And this was my own project. I doubt they know it's you I'm visiting. I won't share your whereabouts freely." She crossed her arms. "If this is because of that hubbub Selwyn raised, then I can understand why you went into hiding. The man was livid...it was hilarious, to watch him try to find you and fail."

"We had a close call once, where a Death Eater came into the store looking for me. That was a while back, though. Mad Eye and I don't quite see eye to eyes any more and last we spoke I told him if any Ministry personnel came around, I would kill them and find him to kill him."

"I was just making sure that this whole thing is going to turn out bad for both of us. Second, is regarding Xander; you do know you're his godmother right?

Meghan shuddered. "I do hope you aren't going to kill me then kill Mad-Eye," she chuckled nervously. "Honestly, I came here of my own accord. I wouldn't turn you in..." Her eyes widened. "His godmother? Since when? I never knew..."

"I wouldn't dare," he said with a chuckle.

"Since always. Samael and Faith as well, they are your godchildren. There are a few things we must go over in the event of bad things happening."

Meghan nodded swiftly. "I'm flattered that you two chose me as their godmother. You know I would raise them as my own in case of any bad event. But what did you have in mind specifically?"

He nodded towards the stairs to take her to his office, "bank account, deeds, birth certificates, my will, everything in my office, in terms of official documents is being left to you until my children are of age."

Meghan's eyes widened. "That's a lot of responsibility," she said quietly. "But I will do what is best for the children, in any situation. I won't violate your trust, Damien...I'm honored to be their godmother."

"Well I assumed you would. There is but one other really important thing I must ask you about," he said opening his office door, "I know you don't remember it, but back at Hogwarts, you, me and Ash had a bit of an incident. We had to remove the memory from you because it made you dangerous. You tried to blackmail Ashley and me into breaking up so you could have your way. Now, in my book that is something I would have held against you, but Ash never saw it like that. She knew you were simply misguided and out of your right mind. Do I suspect you still have feelings for me?"

Meghan frowned. "Back at Hogwarts? I remember liking you...but it suddenly stopped. Right around the time you and Ash started going out. I don't really know why." She turned to look at him seriously.

"Damien, I'll be honest. Back then, I was jealous of Ash for being able to get a nice guy. That's probably why I did whatever it was you erased from my mind. But over the years, I've come to terms with being single. I'm okay with not finding a guy. No, I don't have feelings for you; only feelings of friendship, and concern for my friend's welfare." She smiled softly. "I apologize for whatever I did in the past...jealousy makes girls do weird things."

"Yes, I noticed. We held nothing against you for it, just wanted to make sure we're on the same page. Last thing I wanted to talk to you about is Faith and Samael. I have a feeling they will end up just like me and if that be the case, don't stop them. I want them to experience what I have if they chose it, but if they don't just let them be. Everything you'll need is in this safe in my office. You will have to draw this on it to open."

He searched his desk for a slip of paper with a simple circle with a pattern across it, "simple enough. I've got chalk or a marker in here should the occasion arise."

Meghan nodded gratefully. "Thank you for never holding it against me," she murmured. She watched as he drew the symbol, and it seemed simple. She traced the sane patter with her finger on the palm of her hand. "Alright. I will let their lives run their course. But I will always keep their best in mind."


	27. Chapter 27: The Big Secret

Damien had been standing on Platform 9 3/4's for about 20 minutes, starting to get anxious as the approach of his children was rapidly falling upon him he spent a few minutes catching up with the Weasley's picking their son Percy."

"Dad!" Faith grabbed her twin's arm. "C'mon, Samael!"

Samael shrugged her off, and grabbed his trunk, as he slid through the horde of students and parents milling about. Faith rolled her eyes, and ran to keep up, weaving in and out expertly, trying to avoid clipping others with her trunk.

"Dad! I'm so glad to see you!" she cried, running up to Damien with wide open arms. Samael followed a bit more sedately, something akin to relief on his face.

"You came," he said quietly. "Glad you're here." He glanced over his shoulder, as he heard a familiar voice, and he shot a glare at the kid a few parents over. The kid shot a smirk in reply, and Samael hunched his shoulders, turning back around. "Sod off, git," he muttered.

Damien knelt down and picked Faith up in his arms, carrying her on his back, "man how you've both grown. Either that or I'm getting too old." He gave Samael a hug, feeling he wasn't quite happy, "what's wrong, son?"

Faith laughed. "You're not old," she smiled, before frowning as she looked down at Samael. The boy shrugged.

"There's just a bunch of idiots who shouldn't be allowed at Hogwarts," Samael muttered, before brushing past his father. "I just want to get home, please."

"Alright, alright. Wanna hop on my back too? I can carry you to the 'car'?"

Samael shook his head. "I'm not five anymore, Dad," he scowled. He lugged trunk after him as he walked towards the magical barrier. "I can take care of myself just fine."

Faith sighed. "The boys have been bullying him again," she whispered in her father's ear. "And I think McGonagall threatened to have him suspended if he beat up another kid."

"Ah, well we can't have you getting beaten up now can we? I think it's about time we can start your alchemy tutoring. What do you both think?"

Samael's head whipped up, a spark of excitement in his eyes. "Really?" he asked, as Faith gave a small squeal of delight before hugging her father's neck tightly.

"Oh, Dad! Yes please!" she begged. "I want to learn alchemy..."

"Hey stop jumping up there!" He said trying to keep from choking as they passed back into the muggle world, "yes, we'll start your training after the holidays and find you a proper teacher to go with you to Hogwarts."

Samael seemed pleased, as Faith again bounced lightly. "Oops, sorry," she apologized, stopping her chokehold on Damien. "I can't wait, though! I'm going to become a powerful alchemist, and I'll make you proud!"

"I want to be a powerful alchemist as well," Samael added.

"You and I will be the greatest alchemists ever...well, except for Dad of course," Faith finished excitedly. "I love holidays, but I can't wait to start training!"

"We'll see. Let's get home and I have a surprise for you all."

Damien knew that Amy wasn't going to be at the house yet, so he was safe to Apparate with the kids to the backyard. He motioned towards the door, opening it with magic, "welcome home."

Faith hopped down from his shoulders when they'd arrived. "What's the secret?" she asked excitedly. Samael looked up expectantly; also curious to find out what was so special. But he was a bit more patient, as he picked up his trunk to carry inside the house.

"It's nice to be back," Samael said quietly.

"Well, we will have a special someone over for the holiday; someone I have found some companionship and happiness since your mum died. She will be here soon, I hope, so I ask that you both be nice. First though, we have things to look into for your alchemy training. Come upstairs and leave your trunks."

Faith nodded, unfazed, if a bit happy, at the news Damien gave. But Samael stared up at his father in shock. "What?" he asked in a near-whisper. As Faith bounded up the stairs, Samael continued to gaze at Damien, not quite believing or understanding. "You found...another woman?"

Damien turned to his son, stopping at the stairwell, "just a companion for the time being. A good friend really, not the way, your mum and I had by any stretch. Nice lady Amy is, once you've met her. Now come along Samael."

Samael looked devastated. "But...but what about Mom?" he cried, following his father up the stairs. "Have you forgotten about her? Do you not want to remember her anymore?" His eyes were frightened and sorrowful.

"I will never forget your mum, Samael. Never. For four years I have thought solely of her and because of it, I must admit, I have died somewhat inside. I still am dying. I was asked by your mother to take care of you three and make sure that you were happy and provided for as a father should. I will keep to that but I can't do that if I am dying from loneliness

Samael's eyes widened, and he suddenly clutched at Damien's shirt, as if he were a young toddler again. "Don't die," he whimpered. "Please..." He looked up with large, glistening eyes. "Don't leave us like Mum did..."

"I won't. I'll be here to watch you grow old, my son. I was speaking metaphorically. Now, come, we shouldn't keep your sister waiting," he whispered, looking away to keep Samael from looking him in the eyes as he lied. Up the stairs they went and to Damien's office.

Samael sniffled, but allowed himself to be led along, still clutching at his father. Faith bounced around as they entered the room, but when she saw her brother, she ran over to give him a hug. "It's alright," she said cheerfully. "It'll be alright." Samael rubbed his eyes, before giving her a shaky smile.

Damien opened the door to the workroom and shuffled in, searching through the boxes for something. When he found what it was he searched for, he yanked out a small redwood box from a pile of books and set it on the desk.

"Well, this is a tradition that started many generations ago. Five families were asked to become the scholars of the High King of the Vanguard. Each family was to specialize in one field and report their findings to the king. The five studies were Death, Life, Order, Chaos and the Elements. After a generation, the families started to intermingle until they all became one, ours. Our family was entrusted to be scholars for the Vanguard and so now," he said dusting off the box and opening it, "I give you the five books. Each of you may choose one book of study and I dare say I'd start with Elements but that's one I have yet to finish myself. A bit of forehand knowledge, the books of Life and Death are written as code; meaning the Book of Life is the opposite of what it says and vice versa. The book of the Dead is mean for healing and the book of Life is on death. If one of you wishes to study the elements, I shall give you the book as long as you promise to take care of it."

Faith reached for the Book of Death. "I want this one!" she announced, "I want to learn how to heal myself when I get paper cuts. Or when my tea cup turns into a particularly feisty rat. It seems useful."

Samael took a little more time to choose, before he solemnly reached for the Book of Life. "I want to learn how to stop death," he said quietly. "Or reverse it."

Damien heard the quiet musing as Samael grabbed the book. He placed his hand on the boy's, "Samael, this is serious, what you're thinking. You're talking human transmutation, which is illegal. I want you to promise me you won't try and resurrect your mother."

Samael dropped his gaze in defeat. "I promise," he said quietly. "I just miss Mum." A small spark of anger flickered in his gaze, then faded. He looked up. "I won't try anything illegal. I'll only do what you say is alright."

"Good. I appreciate that. I just don't want to see you get hurt. Now Faith, same goes for you, its human transmutation so you will also have to adhere to strict rules."

Faith nodded. "I just want to help people," she said cheerfully. "I'll follow the rules, Dad. Promise." Samael shifted his feet.

"When can we start learning?" he asked. "Can we start later this week? Or do we really have to wait for the end of holidays?"

"You will start after the holidays, for the fact that your teacher will want to spend it with his family. I know of no better teacher better than the one I have in mind." He stood and grabbed a book from the case.

"This is mine."

Samael nodded. "It's so far away," he grumbled, before peering over his father's shoulder curiously. "What are you going to do with the other two books?" he asked, looking up. "Are you going to keep them?"

"Yes. There is still work for me to do so I will keep them. If you wish to view them you may, but I doubt you'll understand a thing on the pages."

Samael nodded. "Someday I'd like to look at them," he said slowly. "I just want to see what else there is that can be learned...I want to be a great alchemist like you."

He smiled greatly and brought Samael into his arms, "I know. Therefore you both need a good teacher; one that has had plenty of experience in dealing with this family. My old teacher."

"Really?" Faith and Samael gasped.

Samael was now grinning, while Faith clutched the Book of Death to her chest. "We're gonna get your old teacher...we're gonna learn so much!"

"I hope you do learn loads from him. Now a few things to know about him: he is a strict man and as long as you do what he says, you will be safe and sound." He turned his book around and flipped open to a random page, "now since both of you are going with an unconventional book, you'll both be getting some extra bit of tutoring for your specific set of skills.. Your grandfather has offered to train whoever choses the book of life, which is you."

He tussled Samael's hair, "now Faith, I have yet to find a proper tutor for your skillset, so you may end up with me. Alright then, take a look here. These books are old, they contain thousands of years of history and knowledge. They are written in code on purpose and are meant to confuse you. Your task is to translate and decipher this code as well as transfer over the existing information into a new book, which I have for both of you."

Samael brightened. "Grandfather is going to teach me?" he asked excitedly, before letting out a small whoop. Faith's eyes were shining, as she looked up at Damien.

"I want you to teach me, Dad!"

"I'll do my best at translating," Samael put in again. "But why do we have to do that?"

"To maintain the code and for you to learn it better. If the secrets to alchemy were written for you to easily read, you wouldn't make as good a use of it as if you would have in coded. But alas, Amy will be here soon and I'm sure you want to get ready for tonight. Go off to your rooms, get ready. I will grab your trunks and run off for a moment to grab your brother from grandma and grandpa's."

Samael soured a bit when he heard Amy's name, but complied. He and Faith both nodded, then ran upstairs to get changed. Faith held back a moment. "Dad? What if she asks us about school? Does she know about magic? Is she even a witch?" she asked anxiously.

"I've already covered that, so no need to worry. She's not a witch and as far as I know, she knows nothing of it. She thinks you two go to school in America, so try and keep it that way. I'm hoping tonight I might be able to break that bit of news to her."

Samael's eyes widened. "She's a Muggle?" he cried, dismayed. "She's nothing like Mum!"

Faith nudged him sharply. "We'll do our best to avoid magic," she promised. Samael sullenly promised the same.

"Wouldn't want to get in trouble because of a Muggle," he muttered.

Damien gave his son a dirty look and pointed out to the hallway, "Samael, enough! Alright you two, get going." He locked the office behind then headed downstairs to grabs the trunks. He looked around for any Muggles, bringing his wand out to cast a levitation charm to bring the trunks to the second floor landing. When he was finished he called up, "trunks are on the landing. Be back in a minute," then Apparated to his father's house.

Samael listened for the Apparition of his father, then disappeared into his room. Faith watched him go, before heading to her own room to change.

"I don't want my dad with any filthy Muggle," Samael muttered. "She's not Mum, and she never will be. I'll bring Mum back, then we can be happy again." His temper rose slowly, and he clenched his fist tightly, before starting to change obediently. "Dad will see...I can do it! I don't want Dad to leave...if he loves that Muggle, he'll forget about Mum..."

It wasn't long for Damien to return with little Alexander in arms, jumping around happily. Once they got to the house, Xander ran upstairs, into Faith's bedroom and tackled her.

"Hi!"

Faith gasped in surprise, before laughing. "Hey, buddy!" she smiled. "Good to see you! My goodness, keep growing and you'll be taller than me!" She squatted, and hugged him tightly. "I missed you, little brother!"

"I know, dad says I'll be bigger than him soon! Where's Samael? I wanna jump on him!"

Faith chuckled. "He's in his bedroom, changing," she told him. "Go get him. See if you can sneak up on him?"

Samael's foul mood faded when he heard Xander's voice across the hall in Faith's room, and he smiled slightly, before deciding to pretend he'd been surprised. He'd missed his little brother, even if he might not admit it.

Xander nodded, running up to the wall with quiet footsteps then crept towards the doorway, sticking flat against the wall until he was in range of pouncing. He gave a short sprint towards the doorjamb then sprang off, flying through the air until he tackled Samael to the floor, yelling, "Banzai!"

Samael allowed himself to give a small yelp of "surprise", before rolling over, holding in his laughter.

"Augh! You killed me!" he cried dramatically, before flopping around and twitching comically, finally heaving a huge sigh and lying still with his eyes closed.

"Oh no you don't!" He yelled as he jumped up and down on his brother's chest and stomach, "you can't die yet, cuz we haven't had Christmas yet."

Samael let out a breathy laugh, the wind being squashed out of him. "Alright, alright, I've resurrected myself, and now I'm alive again," he laughed. "You can stop bouncing on me now. I'm up!"

Damien had made it upstairs in time to see Xander pounce off the doorjamb and onto Samael. He walked into the doorway and laughed as Xander jumped to get him to come back, "I see he finally pulled off that little trick I taught him. He's been dying to try it out on you."

Samael laughed, ruffling Xander's hair. "You're not supposed to encourage him in stalking me!" he protested with a grin. "I don't want to have to always be watching my back!"

"If you don't always want to watch your back, I suggest you don't get into alchemy. Besides, he's your little brother, what harm can he do?" He turned to leave, holding his hand out for Xander and headed towards the landing, "Amy should be here any minute, so be ready soon!"

Samael frowned. "But I want to do alchemy!" he protested. As his father left, he glowered at the ground. "Then I can fix everything...everything can go back to the way it was." He sighed, then grabbed a brush to brush his hair, as his REAL mum had always nagged him to do, before heading down with Faith. A knock came from the door.

Damien opened the door with a quick step, greeting the person, "good you're here. The kids are getting ready."

Amy smiled as she stepped into the house. "Hi there," she laughed, kissing his cheek. "Good to see you too." She smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Well, where are they? I've been waiting to meet them..." She spotted Faith, with Samael lurking behind her. "Hey, I'm Amy," she said warmly. "Are you Faith and Samael?" Faith nodded, while Samael just snorted. "Your father's told me all about you."

"Yeah? Well, he only just told us about you," Samael muttered quietly under his breath. Faith nudged him subtly.

"Do forgive Samael, still a bit cranky. Doesn't really want to do this right now. How's work?" He said returning the kiss and backing up so Xander could tackle her.

Amy smiled at Samael. "There's nothing to forgive," she said peaceably, hoping to garner Samael's favor. She laughed again, as Xander suddenly grabbed her legs. "Hey, Xander. Work's been great. We've had plenty of customers, so I'm usually pretty busy. But it's nice. How are things with you?"

"Been a bit hectic with the amount of people coming in, hardly get to see you anymore. It's nice to have them back, even if it's only for a few weeks.

Amy nodded understandingly. "It must be difficult, to not see them everyday," she mused. "But at least you get summer and holidays with them." She smiled at the two, and Faith returned it cheerfully while Samael just looked away.

"Well, I'm sure they want to relax a bit, being that they just came home from school. I need some help with dinner, gives me a chance to discuss something important with you."

Amy nodded, smiling. "I'm happy to help," she said cheerfully. "What did you need to talk about?" She followed him into the kitchen.

He picked up a pair of oven gloves and pointed to the pantry, "can you prepare some potatoes , just need to check on the roast." He reached down into the oven and pulled out a large tray of beef brisket.

"Well we've been seeing each other for a few months now and I know you just met my children, but maybe, I was hoping, we could talk about being more serious. We've gone on a few dates and had some good times, but I mean actually be dating? If you know what I mean."

She nodded, and headed for the pantry, gathering what she needed. As Amy brought them back over to the sink, she sighed, turning on the water. "I'm happy about the time we've spent together, and I'd like to become a bit more serious," she admitted, as she washed the potatoes.

"But I need a little bit of time to think about it. And your kids need some time too. I want to win Samael over, and I'm hoping I'll be able to do that this holiday. But yes...I would like to become a bit more serious." She smiled over at him.

"Take you're time, I don't think you'll be able to win him over in a night; or even a year. It will take a long time for him to come to grips with the fact that his mother isn't around anymore. There is something else though, but I feel like I can only talk about it if we're going to take the next step."

Amy sighed. "I know, I'll just try to get him to warm up to me one step at a time." She cocked her head as she began to peel the potatoes. "But do tell...what is this mysterious thing?"

Her curiosity hit Damien's heart and with a sigh he said, "are you sure you want to know? This is something pretty big and I want to make sure you're serious about us."

Amy turned around, her expression solemn. "Damien, I care about you very much. Unless you happen to be a serial killer and I'm your next victim, I don't think there's anything that will make me hate you, or want to leave you. I don't care if you've murdered in the past, as long as you acknowledge your guilt, and want to change. So what is it?"

"Well," he started a bit shakily, "there is a world that you have never been aware of. One of magic and stuff of the like. I reside in such a place. Remember I told you I was in the military? Well I served as an alchemist soldier of something known as the Vanguard. I am also a wizard. My children are wizards and have been at a wizarding school, not at a boarding school in America…"

Amy stared at him for a moment, then started laughing. "Good one," she chuckled. "Damien, really. You can tell me. I won't be mad." He sighed stiffly and pulled her outside, making sure the neighbors weren't around. He looked her in the eyes and rubbed his hands together, "I'm being serious here and here's how I'll prove it." He took a stance known to Tai Chi, swaying back and forth slightly for a few seconds the turned to bring his arms in several wide arcs. With the movement and his concentration, the snow began to shift about wildly. A long stream of snow and ice lifted from the ground and surrounded the two and with a snap of his fingers, Damien ignited the stream into a wreath of flames.

Amy shivered as he pulled her outside, but she wasn't cold for long. As the snow began to move, then burst into flames, she gasped, and leapt backwards, until her back hit the house. "How...impossible..." she whimpered, as she shrank against the house. "Damien...s-stop. Stop. Please..."

Damien collapsed the flame in on itself, cradling its small form into the palms of his hands. He brought it over to her and kept it lit, "I told you it was a rather serious thing. There are many more people like me."

Her eyes were wide as he brought the strange fire over to her. "It doesn't burn you..." she began to giggle. Soon, her laughter became hysterical, and tears began to run from her eyes. "You can play with fire, and it doesn't burn you...what next, snake charming? Or are you going to go destroy the city?" Her eyes widened even more. "Are you going to kill me?"

"I'm not going to kill you and I'm not going to destroy the city. I defend the Muggles," he said before shaking his head, "sorry, non magic folk. I defend you. And I don't just play with fire, I control it."

He lit the flame once more into his hand, turning and launching a fireball towards the tree. Before it could hit, he gathered ice around it and froze it in place into a tall statue.

Amy sunk down into the snow, the cold jarring her. "Magic..." she whispered, trembling from cold and fear. "So...that was what you were hiding..." She looked up. "Do Samael, Xander, and Faith do what you do? You know...this?" She motioned towards the ice statue.

"The blood that flows through my veins, flows through theirs; meaning they are able to do such things by the fact that they are my children. Samael and Faith go back to school at the end of the season, where they study magic. When they go back, they'll be studying alchemy, which is what I do, from my old teacher. I come from a long line of alchemists that date back centuries and their mother's family are all powerful wizards and witches."

Amy buried her face in her hands. "This isn't happening...its not possible..." She dropped her hands after a moment. "This magic...won't harm me? You won't put a spell on me, or use my hair to brew your potions?"

"I could never do that to you. I use this for good, not evil and really only when I need to. I'm sorta out of practice since Ash died. I could never hurt you," he said giving her an incredulous look, "And since when have we ever used hair in potions?"

Amy began to calm down, her eyes still large. She studied him warily for a moment, before her face softened. "I believe you," she said quietly. "I...I trust you won't hurt me." Though she was still pale, she smiled hesitantly.

"I hope that you trust me and that I can trust you to keep this a secret. This is how wizards have worked for ages. I have cleared telling you this with the wizard government and I have to have you promise me you won't tell anyone! There are some serious repercussions, like me going to jail and the kids being put into foster care."

Amy looked up slowly. "I'll keep it secret," she murmured in a small voice. "But...I can't believe there are others out there..."

"Come on, I'll fix you a cup of tea. Definitely could use something to calm the nerves... maybe a shot of liquor?" He offered his hand to help her up.

Amy took the offered hand, and stood. "I think that sounds lovely," she murmured, still a bit shocked, but otherwise fine. "Damien, thank you for trusting me," she said quietly.

He lifted her up and opened the door, quickly getting away from the cold. Once inside, he waved his hand towards the coffee machine, turning it on. Searching across his body a moment he pulled a long wooden stick and he swished it around a second saying, "Accio Rum" looking for the bottle of rum to come flying out of nowhere, which it did.

Amy shivered slightly from the cold as he picked her up. Once they were inside, Damien pulled out a stick...no. A wand? She watched in awe as a bottle came flying towards them. She gasped lightly. "I thought you only needed your hands for magic?" she asked, flinching as the bottle whizzed at Damien, who was apparently unconcerned.

"What I did outside was alchemy, this is magic. I do both, " he said pouring out a shot for both of them. Amy frowned. "And all wizards can do that?" she asked, surprised. "Can I ever learn to do that?"

"Not all wizards are alchemists and not all alchemists are wizards. With the right amount of training I can teach you basic alchemy."

Amy's eyes brightened. "Really? I can learn how to move things with my hand?"

"Maybe. It all depends on several factors, but I can try and teach it to you. Granted it would take a long while."

Amy smiled softly. "After I get used to this, I'm going to be around for a long while," she laughed. "We have time."

"Good, I'm glad. I've been wanting to tell you for a while, but it isn't something I can just spread around willy nilly. Now you can't tell anyone about this... this must remain a secret." He offered her the shot, taking his own to sip.

Amy accepted the shot, and raised it to Damien. "This will remain a secret," she promised, before sipping it. "Besides, they'd probably send me to an asylum if I ever told anyone."

"Oh no... nothing that drastic. You'll just have your memory fixed and everyone else's of those you told. Then, I would go to prison for a very, very long time, where dark beasties would snack on my flesh and soul very slowly until the end of my term or until I was dead. The latter happens more often" He said in a matter-of-factly tone.

Amy's eyes widened. "That's horrible! What kind of prison is that? We don't torture our prisoners without a good enough reason!"

He chuckled and set down his glass, "it's not like muggle society, Amy. You ended up doing something horrible to end up in a wizard prison like Azkaban. Murder, treason, exploiting Muggles... the only thing I can see them not throwing you in Azkaban is for petty crimes like theft, robbery and such, but having your muggle girlfriend tell everyone you're a wizard and explain how it works... that's Azkaban worthy."

Amy frowned. "Well, I promise I won't tell anyone. And..." She grimaced. "If anything bad ever happens between us...I want you to erase my memory of wizards. I don't want you going to this Azkaban place." Her eyes were wide.

"Thank you. I really appreciate that."

After things had simmered down quite a bit, Damien ran upstairs to the kid's rooms, pulling Faith into Samael's so that he needn't repeat himself, "ok then. Amy now knows of magic, but that doesn't mean you can go flipping your wands all over the house. Just take it easy you guys... any who, how's being back home?"

Samael hid an inward smirk. Right. This was going to be fun... "I missed home," he said quietly, his meek tone hiding his true feelings. He had missed the home they'd once had, with a mother, not some other girl. Faith spoke up, interrupting his thoughts.

"It's so weird not having the other girls, like always," she mused, "But, just like every other year, I can get used to it." She grinned.

"Well it's only for two or so weeks, if you don't really like it here," he said with a smirk of satisfaction. "And I bought all those presents for both of you. I guess I can just return it and my money back, Effie."

Faith shook her head vigorously. "No!" she cried, laughing. "I never said I didn't love it here! Please don't take back my gifts." She smirked back at him. "I like getting presents."

"I was only kidding, no worries. You'll get them alright. Come on then, there's a lot of snow out and no one playing in it."

Faith jumped up, and grabbed Samael's hand. "C'mon!" she cried. "Let's go start a snowball fight! Dad, will you and Amy play?" Samael's face soured slightly at the sound of Amy's name, but he nodded in agreement anyways.

"Of course. You guys go and prepare your fort in the back yard, I'll talk to her about it." He headed out of the room, turning back a moment, "and please dress your brother up in some snow clothing, don't need him catching frostbite again, like last year!"

He ran downstairs and looked for Amy, "the kids want to have a snowball fight. Wada ya say?"

Samael and Faith laughed, and promised to, before getting into warm clothes and dressing Xander.

Amy looked up, grinning. "Sounds like fun! I'd love to join in," she said cheerfully. "But...should I quick run home and grab some warmer clothes?" She looked down at her jeans and shirt. "I can be back in about five to ten minutes...let the kids build their fort?"

"Sure, that works, or I can just teleport you there. Like that," he said snapping his fingers for effect."

Amy's eyes widened. "You can do that?" she asked incredulously. "Into my apartment? Without anyone seeing or hearing?"

"Yeah, buts really not the most pleasant method of travel... kinda rough if you've never done it before. Leaves you feeling sick for a bit now that I think about it. First time I did it, I threw up for an hour."

Amy frowned. "Sick? Like, motion sickness? I don't have that problem...or is it something else?"

He nodded and took her hand, "yeah, a really bad case of motion sickness. Pretty much it. If you think you have the constitution for it, we can give it a go."

Amy shrugged. "Why not? I'll give it a go. What do I do?"

"Just hang onto me and hope that it's not a harsh ride."

He looked around a moment before concentrating on her apartment. He figured the best way to not get caught by the Ministry, was to shift instead of Apparate. A brief splash of chilled air and the world around them dissolved for but a moment then the surroundings became familiar. He patted her arm, "there we are. You're home."

Amy squeezed her eyes shut, and a small wave of vertigo washed over her as they did...something. A small gasp left her lips when she opened her eyes. They were in her apartment. "That is so cool!" she laughed. "Just give me a few minutes to change...then we can...whatever that was...again!"

"Sure. Take you time... it's hard on me to do that so I just need a minute and a glass of water."

Amy nodded, quickly getting him a glass of water. "Make yourself at home," she smiled. "I think you know where things are."

She disappeared into her bedroom for a few minutes, before emerging with her winter clothes on, spare clothes in hand for afterwards. "Ready?" she asked brightly.

Damien sat down, taking the glass offered and slowly drinking, "wow... it's been a while since I've been here. Since we've started dating I'd take it... I'm so glad you were able to take the news of my genetics so well. I've heard people going insane and trying to kill them for stuff like that. One lady had almost been admitted to the hospital for psychosis."

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Amy came out of the bedroom ready to go, "Yeah I'm ready. Let's get going."

Amy smiled at him. "If I were any other person, or had any other relationship with you, I probably would have reacted differently. But Damien...I care about you. This doesn't faze me as much as it should. It's even...quite interesting, actually." She took his hand, readying for the strange teleportation again.

The journey back to the house was much easier for him to do than he thought, mostly from the fact that it was to a location he's been to repeatedly. He looked outside the kitchen, where they landed to find the kids in the backyard, building a wall of snow about their own height.

"Come on, we can't let out do us in fort building."

Amy laughed. "Then what are we waiting for?" She pulled him after her, feeling the cold nip at her exposed face. This should be fun.

When they finally made it outside, he smiled at the kid's ingenuity in using magic to make a catapult behind their wall. He turned to Amy with a devilish grin, "you make the ammo... I'll get the wall. They made a catapult, those sneaks."

Amy laughed and nodded, before kneeling the snow to begin making snowballs. Within five minutes, she had a nicely-sized pile, and she looked over her shoulder. "How much ammo did you want?" she asked with a grin.

"I plan on burying them in snow. So as many as you can make. I'll make a catapult and a cannon." He drew a symbol in the snow and touched his hands to the outer edge of it, concentrating on the form of a large cannon in which to fire these snowballs.

She nodded, and continued forming the snow. As she did, she watched Damien form the catapult. "Are you using alchemy or magic?"

"Alchemy. It's my forte, so I stick to what I know best. If I duel my kids with magic, I'm sure they'd win fair and square."

Amy chuckled. "I'm so sorry. Your kids...able to beat you. Do they know that?

He shrugged and laughed, "It's not something I'm ashamed of. They already have beaten me before. Second year at school and they were capable of doing spells I still have trouble with. That's why you'll rarely ever see me perform magic. They can't take me on as an alchemist because it's something I'm good at. I always hoped they'd pick up their mother's skill with a wand."

Amy smiled. "Well, at least you do alchemy. They must respect you for that." She chuckled, glancing down at the growing pile of snowballs. "Ready for this?"

"Oh yah!" He shouted sticking a few snow balls onto the catapult and waving a hand to launch. Faith saw the salvo coming and ducked.

Samael grinned, seeing Amy turned towards his father. Ducking the snow that flew at him, he levitated a pile of snow, and launched it towards Amy, before picking up more snow and throwing it at his father.

Damien raised a hand, stopping the large pile from hitting Amy by incinerating it into vapors. He launched another rapid salvo at both of his children "Not fair, Dad!" Samael shouted in mock laughter, though he was secretly disappointed. "We'll never land a hit that way!"

Faith smirked, and let loose a warming charm, so that the snow melted midair before it could reach them. "We'll fight fire with fire," she chuckled, "pun intended."

He laughed evilly and smirked as he continued to fire large quantities of snowballs at the kids and at the fort the kids had built. With a good-natured scowl, Samael turned to Faith, who nodded with a smirk. Samael Disillusioned himself, and began sneaking around behind his father and Amy, while Faith unleashed a torrent of snow to distract the two.

Damien didn't see the spell Samael casted, too busy being pummeled by the barrage to really see his son sneaking up on them. With a small smirk, Samael whispered a levitating spell, raising a mound of snow above his father and Amy, then quickly released it, allowing the torrent of snow to fall straight down on them. Hopefully, his father wouldn't notice until it was too late. Satisfied, he snuck back to his side, and dropped the Disillusionment spell. Damien only had a brief moment of realization that the pile had been lifted above them, jumping towards the house to use the awning to keep from getting hit. Amy missed the memo, and shrieked with surprise and some amusement, as the cold rained down on her. "That has got to be cheating!" she laughed. "How did they do that without us seeing?" She was forced to dig her way out of the pile.

"Simple Disillusion charm. Made it hard for us to see him by forcing us to deal with something else. That sneaky little brat." He said as he offered his hand to help her out of the pile

Amy laughed. "Resourceful, isn't he?" she said with a smile, taking his hand. "Well, let's get them back!"

He smiled watching Xander pick up handfuls of snow and try to throw them at the kids. He took the opportunity as Faith stopped loading ammo to pull Xander away to splatter her with several snowballs.

Samael laughed at the sight of his younger brother covered in white powder, and he laughed even harder when Faith got rained on with snowballs, though he was careful to stay alert and dodge whatever was sent his way. He sent another swarm of snowballs flying towards his father and Amy.

Damien aimed the cannon at Samael, launching a snowball the size of Xander at him as he waved away the second pile of snow.

Samael shouted in surprise as he was blindsided by the snowball his dad launched at him. "It's cold, it's very cold," he chattered, scurrying to get out from under the mound. "Not cool, Dad!"

"Then stop cheating and you won't get hit so hard." He ran out and grabbed Xander and a handful of snow started for Faith.

"I wasn't cheating!" Samael protested. "And if I did, then you cheated first!" Faith dodged behind him, shrieking. Together, the twins dove behind their fort, waiting for their father with wands ready to fling the mounds of snow.

"Now, now... that's not fair. Amy can't use magic, so I'm stuck with just defense here. Don't make me have to bury you both in snow!"

Samael and Faith stifled their giggles and waited until they spotted their father's head. Then, as Faith yelled, "Fire!" Samael launched the cannon of snowballs, and the two of them both launched snowballs magically as well.

After taking several snowballs to the chest and face, Damien took cover behind a tree and gathered snow from around the fort using alchemy and buried the kids in it up to their necks.

Both twins shrieked with cold, and Samael used a quick expulsion spell, with some difficulty since he couldn't do the wand movements well, to send the snow bursting away from them, freeing himself and his sister. "That's cheating!" he accused. "See! So now everything's fair game!"

Amy had snuck up behind the twins, armed with snowballs. Faith let out another shriek as the snowballs began to pound them again. Samael threw up a Shielding charm, and whirled around, his arm whipping his own snowball, and managed to strike Amy in the chest before she dove for cover.

Maybe Amy was imagining the glare he'd sent her. It was all in the heat of the moment...

Damien had caught the glare and he knew it was serious. It was the same glare that he gave in anger, the one synonymous with the Selwyn Family for its venom. He positioned himself between Amy and Samael, clapping his hands together to send a wave of snow upon the kids.

She was ruining his family time...the time when he could forget everything at school and just hang out with what was left of his family. He didn't want her here. But his father stepped between them, and so Samael dropped his gaze, frustrated. The wave of snow washed over them, and while Faith laughed happily, Samael felt his happiness begin to drain away. Hurt welled up in him. Amy was suddenly so important to his father...did that mean his father loved her more now? He couldn't love her! What about their mum...their REAL mum? And if Amy was here now...their father wouldn't spend as much time with him. He raised his wand with a grimace upon his face and aimed it right at Amy.

It was by pure chance that Damien had caught Samael raising his wand again and that same look of anger furrowed over his brow. With a quick movement, he drew his own wand," Samael, lower it!"

Samael looked up, surprised. In his anger, he hadn't noticed his wand hand rising. With shock, and a guilty expression, he lowered it obediently. "Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't notice." Again, the resentment welled up in him, but he swallowed it down, scuffing at the snow miserably.

He looked at Samael, catching the rays of anger emanating off of him. He opened his arms and motioned to him, "come here. Talk to me. You two don't mind if we go off for a bit on our own do you?"

Samael scowled slightly, but went to his father, while Faith studied him, concerned for her twin. She shrugged, then turned to Amy, smiling shyly.

Amy returned the smile. "I think we'll be fine," she said slowly, eyeing Samael, who stared back at her coldly. Damien pulled Samael into the house, taking his wand away in the process, "what is wrong with you?! This isn't the first time you've acted like this. Talk to me Samael, so I can help."

He took away his wand...his father had taken away his wand! That was what they did to criminals! "I'm not a criminal," he whimpered. "Don't break my wand..."

Why was his father like this? It was just a muggle Samael was mad at. She was nothing special. She wasn't his mother, for Merlin's sake! Samael backed away slightly from his father, dropping his gaze, hurt and anger and sadness flashing through his eyes.

"I'm not treating you like a criminal and no... I'm not going to break it. I'm just making sure you're going to behave," he said with a calmer tone. He knelt in front of him and offered the wand back to his son.

Samael forced himself not to yank the wand away, instead calmly taking it from his father. "Thank you," he said in a neutral tone. Maybe if he hid his anger...

Carefully, he allowed his anger to drain away from his face, bottling it up deep within his mind. For now, he could look at his father a bit more calmly. "I would not harm her with magic," he said coolly. "Though you seem to think I would. Gee, thanks a million, Dad." His tone was sarcastic, as he pocketed his wand.

"I tire of that tone, son. Please stop. I can understand that you don't like Amy, but that gives you no cause to act like this around her. Just for my sake, be happy?"

Just for his sake? Did his father honestly not see? He didn't even care about Samael anymore...it was all, Amy this, Amy that. It made him sick. Hurt and a desire for his father to reassure him that Samael was important to him too, the boy dropped his gaze. "Fine." Oh, he'd be nice to Amy when his dad was around...but he would make sure she didn't tell his dad if he used a little magic here and there.

He nodded, thanking him and pulling him into a grateful hug. He kissed his son's forehead and patted his back, "thank you. Now let's go finish our snowball fight."

Samael allowed his father to hug him, before he pulled away. "I'm kinda cold," he murmured. "I'm going to hang out in here and watch you guys from the window. You could have a free-for-all."

He shrugged and nodded, heading towards the door, "come out if you're ready to get cold again."

Samael nodded, moving to the couch to settle down. His father was now outside, and he was free to scheme. "Spiders would be nice," he inwardly smirked. "Transfigure her teacup into a spider? Harmless." Oh yes, this would be an interesting time indeed. He'd make her regret stealing his father's affection from him.

It'd been an hour of playing before everyone came back in to warm up their bones. Damien and Faith both waved their wands over their clothes to rid themselves of the snow and water that had soaked them. Faith took Xander upstairs and Damien looked to Amy with a smile, "here, I can dry you off."

Samael was reading when they reentered, and he looked up, before closing the book and standing to leave. He followed Faith and Xander from the room, not even looking at his father or Amy.

Amy smiled at Damien. "Thanks!" she said brightly, "You have a fun family. Though...what was wrong with Samael? He seemed upset," lowering her voice at the end.

He waved the wand over her clothes sapping the moisture from them and waving it towards the door. He leaned in and whispered into her ear, "He's just not used to having you around. Don't worry about him too much. He's just still mourning Ashley."

Amy nodded slowly. "He was young, wasn't she, when you lost her?" she asked quietly. "To have me come into the picture must be...difficult for him." She sighed.

"Yes, very. They all were. In any event, best to just leave him be or he will be very testy." He said with a light peck of her cheek Amy nodded. "I'll be careful not to upset him," she promised. "Faith likes me, so I'll hang out with her more often than not." She smiled.

"Good, let's just relax and have dinner."


	28. Chapter 28: A Visit to the Dentists

_**((I'm sorry it's taken so long to get a chapter out folks. I've been so busy and after being put in the hospital for a week and having surgery, shit's been crazy. So I should be able to get back to a more fluid schedule to finish up the last couple of chapters here and get it posted up. I feel bad…. I know I should feel bad. Two months without a reply… And of course the first thing I put out is shorter than all hell. Hahaha.))**_

Though Damien had always been more partial to using magic and alchemy to take care of his health needs, there was a few things he left to muggle know how. He had an issue with his tooth that he couldn't quite figure out, so he went to the family dentists in Sussex, the Grangers. It had been some time since last they saw any of the family, since before Ashley had died. He had packed up Xander's bag and decided to drive there, being that it wasn't too far out of the way. It wasn't long before they arrived at the office.

"Daddy? Do we have to go to the dentists? I don't like them…"

"It's not for you, Xander. It's for me, though while we're here, we may as well see if that can get you in for a check up. Don't worry about a thing. You'll be alright," he said as he gave the white haired boy a loving hug.

Xander hummed and groaned, dragging his feet as they made it towards the door. Damien shook his head and smiled, "ok… you broke me. I can't stand to see you like that. We'll go get ice cream afterwards ok?"

Xander jumped up and down with joy and rushed into the room, where a tall bushy haired woman stood looking down at some paperwork, "I'll be with you in a second… just have to figure this out."

"Take you're time Helen, I'm early, " said Damien with a smirk as the woman slowly raised her head in surprise. She placed a hand over her mouth to suppress the largest smile she had yet given and came out from behind the desk to give Damien a hug.

"Well, Mr. Kelmore. I think you are long over due on a visit! Where the kids? Ashley? It's been too long since we've seen them. Joshua is busy with a patient; it shouldn't be too long though. If I had know you were coming… oh dear me! You and Ashley had another?!"

He placed his hands up defensively and chuckled, she was anxious to know of everything that had happened, "Well, this is Alexander, that last little one of our litter… but I've got some bad news for you. We haven't been back because I've been sort of a shut in as of recently. Ashley died some years back; Lymphoma. There was nothing they could do. Even with my knowledge of medicine, I couldn't do much. The good thing is she is in a better place and not in pain. I know she watches over the kids and me."

Helen sat down in a chair at the horrible news, tears welling up in her eyes. She tried to speak normally, but her voice was choked up, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Oh, poor thing. And the kids, how did they take this? Where are they?"

"They're at boarding school. They'll be back sometime around Christmas. Faith took it well, though for the first month, she cried herself to sleep. Samael is and probably always will be heart broken about this."

Xander saw a little girl in the far corner with her face buried in a book. The bushy brown locks and fervent look of concentration in her eye made her intriguing to Xander, causing him to reach out to his father and get his attention, "Daddy? Can I go see if she wants to play?"

Helen giggled though her tears, "That's my daughter. If you can get her out of her book, you can certainly play."

Xander ran off, leaving the adults to their conversation. He slowly walked up to the girl and prodded her leg with his finger and stood there with a big smile on his face. The girl looked up and gave him a confused glance, "Yes?"

"I wanted to see if you wanted to play?!" He said excitedly.

She looked back down into her book and shook her head, "No thanks. I'm at the best part!"

"Whatcha readin'," he said, trying to get a good look at the cover of the book.

"Treasure Island. It's sooooooooo good! Have you ever read it?" She asked.

"No, but my dad has it. He's got a huge library all over the house!"

"NO WAY! You gotta tell me all about it?! What's your name?"

"I'm Xander, that's my dad over there, talkin' with your mum. What's yours?"

"I'm Hermione!"


	29. Chapter 29: Troubles All Around

_**(( So, its getting a little harder for me to write and complete chapters here with my work schedule, but I promise to get this damn thing done. EVEN IF IT KILLS ME! Lolz. Anyways, another chapter for yall. There may be some stuff missing in this book that will get covered in a mini book I'm writing that just follows Samael and Faith while they're at school.))**_

Damien had spent the day getting the house cleaned and ready for the return of his twins. Though Damien wasn't a messy man, Alexander was a little terror as of late and has trashed the place. He was happy to have Amy give him a hand with these things, at least to keep track of the little one, who had grown a slight attachment to Amy.

Damien chuckled as he watched Xander sneak up on Amy and clamp onto her leg, screaming how he would never let go before cackling maniacally (a new trick his father taught him for just such an occasion.) It was when he heard the distinct sound of someone shifting into his back yard that his gaze turned to a harsh and angered glare. He saw a distinct figure, built like a fire truck with hair of the same color.

Amy was in the process of setting a plate to dry on the dish rack when two little arms wrapped around her leg, a tiny voice proclaiming Xander's refusal to surrender his hold. Laughing, Amy looked down, quickly drying her hands on a nearby towel. "Oh no! What ever shall I do? I know! Maybe I'll use my secret power - the tickle monster!"

Xander's shrieks of laughter made her smile as she reached down and wiggled her fingers in a mock-threatening manner, before descending upon him and tickling him. She successfully loosened his hold enough to lift him up into her arms and swooped him over to the couch, depositing him as she glanced up. She spotted the strange man, but noticed Damien had as well and left him to it. Instead, she continued to tickle Xander, though she kept an eye on the other encounter in case she needed to run with the little boy for safety.

It had only been a few months since Damien had revealed the world of magic to her, and though she was adjusting well, it still scared her to think of how very vulnerable she was, in comparison to the power he had displayed, as proof of this magic he possessed. As such, she had become rather wary of all guests to the house now, knowing she was only a liability to Damien should trouble occur. All she could do was run and help keep the little ones safe as best as she could.

Damien lowered the bread knife he instinctively grabbed and set it back into the knife block as he waved a hand to the door with a smile, "Look who decided to drag himself out of the grave for a visit. How are you old friend?"

The red haired man drew his cloak off and chuckled in a booming voice, "Hahaha. Gave you a bit of a scare, did I?"

Xander heard the voice and squealed with glee, "Uncle Wyan!" to which he threw himself off of the couch and charged at Ryan McTavish as he entered the doorway. Ryan feigned being knocked back some as he caught the boy and fussed with his white hair, "it's great to see you again lad. I've missed you!"

Xander pouted, "You never come to see us!"

Damien took Xander from Ryan and gave a low hum, "That's daddy's fault. I was only trying to keep you safe Xander. Amy! Come here. This is an old friend of mine!

Xander's gleeful shout reassured Amy somewhat, but she still hung back until Damien waved her forward. Hesitantly, she stepped forward, offering a hand to the man with the booming voice. "Hello, I'm Amy," she said, her voice a bit timid in the face of a man who could easily break her hand by simply squeezing too tight.

She glanced at Damien, gathering a bit more courage and reassurance as she smiled at the newcomer. "Any old friend of Damien's is a friend of mine. It's nice to meet you."

An old friend, hm? And one that didn't visit out of concern for the safety of the children? Amy assumed this man was a part of that odd organization Damien had talked about. Not the magical one, but the one so much more powerful...the Vanguard, was it?

Ryan chuckled as he saw the woman round the corner; she was tiny compared to him, but that was his life in general. With a grace and gentility that belied his hulking frame, took her hand in his and gave it a polite kiss, "Well, it has been a while since I last saw yer, Kelmore. This lass a friend of yers? She's quite the looker."

"Amy and I have been dating over the past few months. Some friends thought it was a good idea I date again, so I did. Amy is so wonderful to me."

McTavish gave a snort of surprise and disbelief. He shot Damien a subtle glance that Damien immediately understood, though he doubted Amy would have. The Irishman shook his head and chuckled again, "Well that is definitely some news to take in, "he said turning to Amy now, "So where'd yeh two meet? Diagon Alley? Gringotts?"

Damien shook his head and put his hands up, "she's a muggle, Ryan. It's a good thing I've already told her about magic."

McTavish shrugged and simply smiled, "aye. Well a double wammy oughta wake any man up. Doesn't matter though, as long as yer happy Damien, I'm fine with it. He treatin' yer right lass? If he dun, I can always straighten him out fer yeh.

Well, the term 'gentle giant' certainly applied. Amy's smile grew warmer as she became more relaxed in the man's presence, even beamed as he complimented her. What girl didn't like a compliment? "Careful, Damien, he's quite the charming competition you've got there," she said teasingly, briefly touching his hand affectionately as she looked up at him. Amy turned back to Ryan.

"Yes, though, he is treating me wonderfully. He and his kids are wonderful," she replied softly as she smiled. "But I'm curious. Is this Gringotts and Diagon Alley some sort of magical term? I know muggle means someone who can't use magic, but what about the other terms?"

Damien turned and sat himself on the counter and smiled, "Gringotts is a Wizard bank, ran by money hungry goblins. Diagon Alley is like a shopping center for wizards, with Gringotts at its core. Anything you need for wizarding is in Diagon Alley."

Goblins were real too then. Amy wondered just how many magical creatures of legend were real. She had already asked about unicorns, discovering that to her delight they were indeed real, but there were so many other creatures. "Goblins? Well that's unexpected - goblins running a Wizarding bank." She brightened. "You'll have to take me to see Diagon Alley someday then. I want to see this Wizarding world for myself!"

Damien nodded eagerly, "One day I will take you there and I will find you the biggest book, that won't try and eat you on all the things that exist in the magical world."

Amy laughed. Books that tried to eat you sounded a lot funnier than it did dangerous. Such a fascinating world!

He looked over to Ryan and furrowed his brow and lowered his voice some, "Well, old friend, I don't think you came here just to woo my girlfriend from me. You know that's worth a fight..."

"We never really finished our fight back at your school all those years ago," he said proudly and with a smile that taunted Damien.

"And I hope we never have to. As far as I'm concerned, we knocked each other out, so it counts as a tie. It took me a solid week before I was able to walk properly."

"Haha, me too," he chuckled, "but I suppose I should tell yer why I'm here. We've got a new batch of recruits coming in and the High General has asked me to train them. They need a good combat instructor and I can't think of anyone better than you.

Ryan and Damien bantered some, over an old fight from the school years. Sounded more like a sparring match from the teasing way it was referred to, but Amy had no doubt that any sort of fight, for training or not, between the two men was likely to be rather violent and not a good idea for anybody to stick around.

Wait. Combat instructor? Amy looked up at Damien. "Does that mean you won't be around for a while?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "What about the kids?"

Damien's brow furrowed and he paced a little bit around the kitchen. Ryan knew the look on his face and he didn't like it one bit. It wasn't until Amy interrupted their trains of thought that Damien spoke up again, "I dunno if I'm even ready to do such a thing. Couldn't take me more than a few hours a day for a few weeks. How much will I get paid?"

Ryan shrugged, "Knowing the High General, she will pay yer handsomely in either muggle or wizard currency. The combat instructions that yer be teachin are usually early morning and mid afternoon fer two hours a piece. A week at most."

Damien mulled it over and shrugged, "I can do that. When do I start, tomorrow?"

"No. Today."

Damien gave a gasp of awe, "that's too soon! My kids will be coming home from school today. Amy and I were going to pick then up later today!"

"We need yer combat experience, Damien. Remember the kind of training we received before basic and the crap we were taught at basic. The High General wants an expert and yer were the best at what you do. I will have yer back by lunch and Ill stay a bit after to play with the kids."

Damien turned to Amy thoughtfully, unsure of what to do. He wanted to do this, but that left Amy in a tough spot of having to pick up Samael and Faith from King's Cross. She was on great terms with Faith, even using his owl to let her write back and forth with her. But Samael was more difficult and delicate on this matter.

"Is Ethan coming back on the train with the kids?"

"More than likely, yes."

"Send word to have the kids meet Amy at King's Cross instead of on Platform 9 3/4. Amy if you don't mind doing me this huge favor, I would greatly appreciate it. It'll only be a couple of hours at most and Ill be back soon or Ryan will lose a lot more than his hair."

"Right... You still have your old uniform?"

"It's only been almost 5 years. Why would I throw that?"

She sobered quickly, and watched the interaction between the two men. She didn't react, even when Ryan said that Damien would be starting that day. Xander, who had been toddling around, grabbed onto her leg with a giggle, and she leaned down to pick him up, balancing him on her hip. "You're getting heavy there, kiddo," she chuckled to him as she shifted her weight before looking up at Damien.

"I think it'll be good of you to get back to this military thing," she said with a small smile. "I'm sure you miss it - you didn't even throw out the uniform, for heaven's sake! Don't worry about the twins; I think you showed me where the entrance is. Even if I don't know how to get onto the platform, I can be there when they come out. It won't be a problem." She bounced Xander a bit, looking at the young boy with a grin. "It'll be an adventure!"

With that, she turned back to Damien. "Don't worry about getting home soon; I'll take care of things here. You just concentrate on what you need to do." She leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I'll see you when you get home then. You won't be needing the car, right?"

Damien smiled weakly and kissed Amy back as he walked past her to the stairs, "I'll be right back." He went into his locked study and drew the symbol meant to unlock it, pushing the door aside and looking around for the box with his uniform. He found a small box under the desk labeled "Work" and dusted it off, pulling out from its case, a black uniform, complete with badges and stars. He quickly changed, waving his hands over areas that needed fixing or resizing to do so and walked out of the office feeling strange. It had been too long and the familiar comfort of the uniform made him slightly nostalgic.

He came out and stood before them, taking in the moment quietly. He walked over and picked up Xander from Amy's hip and tossed him up in the air quickly and swung him, "Alright, Daddy's gotta go. You behave for Amy and I'll be home soon. Thanks again Amy. You can take the car, just be at Kings Cross between platforms 9 and 10. I'll be back soon."

She smiled and gave Damien a peck on the lips as he made his way towards the back door, where there was a slight gust of wind and the two men disappeared in a blink of an eye. Despite having seen Damien do this many times, it was still something that Amy would never get used to. She looked down at Xander, who glanced up at her in return with a smile. She smiled and pecked his forehead, "I guess it's just us for a little while. Why don't you go get ready so that we can go and pick up your brother and your sister."

Some Time Later:

The only noise that echoed through the cabin was the sounds of the train moving along the tracks. Faith was busy reading the Book of the Dead with her glasses randomly slipping to the edge of her nose, making her having to push them up to the bridge. Her white hair was tied in a neat braid down to the middle of her back as she dutifully studied. Across from her was her brother, whose short white hair clashed with the bruise on his cheek and a scowl upon his features. Next to him was their mentor, Ethan Minsk, who was busy fiddling with a small bird that brought him instructions for when they arrive. He gave Samael a light nudge and tried to get the boy to smile by making strange faces, but Samael was clearly upset.

"Clearly boy, you don't like this whole situation. Care to talk?"

"No…"

"You don't like the fact that your father is with this Amy, I take it?"

Without missing a beat, Faith spoke up, while her face was still buried in her book, "He misses Mum and feels that Dad is cheating on Mum."

"No one asked you Effie. It doesn't bother me that Dad is with someone, but it does bother me that she isn't even of wizard blood. Thins out our bloodline. If they decide to have a baby, gods forbid… The child will more than likely end up not being a wizard or an alchemist. I just don't want to see the Kelmore bloodline die because he decided to mess around with some muggle gold dig…"

"Watch yourself Samael," Faith said as she looked up and closed her book. She crossed her left leg over the right and sat back into the seat, "I miss Mum too and at first I was skeptical. Amy is a nice woman and she loves Dad. She loves us! She isn't in this for Dad's money or to try and take away the love we had for Mum. She's just trying to be there to support us and to help Dad return to some semblance of a normal life."

Minsk smirked and nodded; his protégé had matured quickly since the kids had started learning alchemy from him only a few months back. He had a great feeling about Faith doing great things, though her brother couldn't be said much the same. He required a different kind of training; one that Minsk couldn't provide, "Faith's right, Sam. Your father has spent his entire life dedicated to you, Faith and Alexander after your mother passed away. He always loved your mother and I can attest to how deeply in love the two of them were. When your mother died, it took everything to keep your father from falling apart. I wouldn't be surprised if this Amy isn't helping him along with the recovery. It's not like your father hasn't earned some comfort and happy…"

"SHUT UP! How do you know how I feel, huh? Mum is prolly rolling in her grave right now… Dad is capable of doing things most alchemists aren't capable of. He can just bring her back using the Book of the Dead."

"ENOUGH! Never say that," shouted Minsk as he stood up. His presence became larger and Faith jumped as Minsk closed the distance between himself and Samael, "NO ONE HAS EVER LOVED ANY ONE MORE THAN YOUR FATHER LOVED YOUR MOTHER! Neither you nor anyone else should ever try to bring back the dead. It's unnatural… The results are horrible. I have seen the travesties that have occurred in the name of love. There is nothing in this world that would make your father happier than to have your mother back, but your father knows what can happen when you mess with the dead and the living… Your father is smart enough to not make an attempt at playing god."

Faith was backed into the corner of the cabin and had a look of terror plastered across her features as her mentor had turned from the calm and collected monk like man that she was used to seeing to a nightmare she hoped to avoid seeing in the future. Samael only glared back at Minsk until the message sank in. He sat back and turned away from Minsk and looked down to the floor while the mentor sat back down. He looked to Faith and reached out a hand to her with a calm smile that belied the anger that welled inside him towards his young student, "Its ok, Faith. You're brother just needed a little… Tough love."

Faith eyed him with fear in her eyes, pulling her feet up to her chest and covering them with her skirt, "You never said anything about THAT, sir."

"And you never will see it again until you are in serious danger. The only person who has ever seen me do that is your father," said he in an almost monotone voice, "Now, calm yourself. I'm sorry. Samael, you will behave yourself in Amy's presence and should you have any issues with her, be polite and tell her to just leave you be. She will respect that, I promise. Your father will only be a few hours a day, so I'm sure you can make some time to practice. Now, we're coming up to the train station."

The remainder of the ride was silent, though Faith was able to return to normal after having come to grips with the fact that her mentor was adamant about the subject. Once they arrived to the station, Faith grabbed her bag and trunk and followed behind Minsk and Samael, who dragged himself out exasperatedly. Through the hidden gateway, they stood in the middle of the busy station of Kings Cross on the muggle side, where they were greeted by a squeal of delight and a friendly smile. Faith watched the scowl melt away from her brother's face as the youngest of the siblings made a flying leap into Samael's chest, bringing a smile to her lips. She set her trunk down beside her brother's and went up to Amy and wrapped her arms around her, "Hey! It's great to see ya! We heard that dad was called back to the Vanguard. I'm sure we'll all behave for you just fine until dad gets back, wont we?" She said, shooting a glare back to Samael.

The boy looked to Alexander and couldn't help but smile, even standing in front of the evil woman who was taking his father away. He nodded and moved to grab his trunk as Alexander jumped up and sat up on his shoulders. Minsk stopped Samael from walking away and turned him around, "Listen boy. I understand your pain. Believe me. Give it time; sit down with your dad and talk to him. I know you two don't talk very often."

"You must be the kid's teacher, Ethan Minks?"

"Minsk, young miss. I prefer mentor over their teacher. These two teach me a great many things as have other students over the years. You must be Damien's girlfriend, Amy?"

Amy gave a simple nodded as she offered her hand to him, which he took gratefully and placed a soft kiss upon it, "a pleasure I'm sure miss. Its high time you all get heading back, I'm needed back at the White City." He turned on his heels and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Amy with the kids.

"Well, he's a strange fellow," Amy said quietly as she grabbed Faith's small satchel.

"Yeah… a strange man with strange habits," said Samael teetering back and forth to elicit a giggle from his brother.


	30. Chapter 30: The Hard Rush

_**((Hoping to turn out another chapter by the end of the day today. Here's to hoping! Thanks to everyone who has been reading and has given me inspiration and support on this project. Without you guys, I wouldn't have made myself finish this project and it would still be in my head. I really don't like it there… takes up too much space.))**_

It had been almost 3 years since their father had allowed them to begin their alchemy training under Ethan Minsk, who favored training Faith over Samael. Samael only got a few months in with Faith's mentor before he was told he would be training with Ryan McTavish. McTavish understood Samael better than anyone else, having been the loner and outcast most of his own life. Where Minsk wanted to teach about the calm of the arts of alchemy, to bend magic and alchemy to the users will through water and air, McTavish had started on what Samael thought was a necessity in combat, the fury of a fiery heart and a solid rock defense. Though Samael was unable to manipulate multiple elements yet, he perfected his mastery of earth based alchemy and hand to hand combat under the harsh tutelage of the massive ironclad Irishman.

In their Sixth year, the twins were allowed to take their alchemist assessment tests to gain a ranking and classification. Faith had been frantically reading through every page of material she could get her hands on so she would be on top of her knowledge and practical skillsets, but her hand to hand combat was lacking. She was great at a distance, unlike her brother who needed to be up close and personal. Samael spent the many months before the exam constantly training his hand to hand skills, though he tried to keep up with his practicals as well.

In Samael's room, the boy sat silently on his bed, eyeballing the uniform that was brought forth to him. Black slacks with red stripes down the side that he had seen his father wear while in uniform, a black tank top, a blazer that matched the slacks and a leather belt with several pouches for various objects that he would be using throughout the day. He quickly got dressed and began to load his pouches with items from his trunk, heading into the Slytherin Common Room, where he would wait anxiously to get this whole day done and over with.

In Faith's room, Faith paced around her room nervously, looking out the window every now and again to watch as the sun peaked over the mountains on the outskirts of the castle grounds. She finally stopped to look at her uniform laid out on her bed and shuddered in anticipation for the day ahead. Everything about her uniform was the same as Samael's though she made a quick adjustment to the slacks to turn it into a long skirt, which would make it easier to move around while she worked on her practicals. She would have to turn it back to pants for the combat test. She left to the Ravenclaw Common Room and awaited the arrival of her teacher to take her to the Divinations tower for the first two tests.

Shortly After

Faith and Sam both stood side by side, her hand slipping into her brothers for some sort of comfort. Sam gave her hand a squeeze back and took a deep breath. He looked around to see who all was in attendance; Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, an officiate of the Vanguard and tall woman with red hair he couldn't get a good look at from his position. He looked back to McTavish with a confused look and said, "Sir? I thought our father was going to be coming? I don't see him here."

"He is coming, but he won' get 'er till yeh start yer practicals. Now, yer best be prepped fer this Sammy. Yer not much o' da smarts guy, but yer damned good when it comes to practical applications and combat. Just do what comes naturally and you'll make it just fine."

Minsk leaned into Faith and whispered in her ear, "I hope you brought enough stuff with you… you will be weighed down badly when doing the combat, so if I were you, I would ditch the more useless items. Most of what you need is already provided hun. I've got a gift for you too," said he as he reached into his coat and drew out a pair of gloves. The backs of the gloves bore an alchemic seal and the palms another, giving her quick access to abilities she would have to spend time drawing seals to do. Surely McTavish will have done the same for Samael.

She took the gloves gratefully and stuffed them into her pocket, then started emptying her pouches of any useless items. The chattering died down as the officiate turned and waved down the kids to stand before them. Getting the last items out, Faith quickly made her way up to the front of the room, followed by her brother. They stood side by side and stood at attention while the officiate stood to speak.

"State your names for the records, please."

"Ashley Faith Kelmore."

"Samael Nikolas Kelmore."

"Alright, now, here are the tests," said the officiate handing them what looked to be a tome of papers, "You will have two hours to complete this test, then we shall move on to the practical applications of potioneering. You will have 2 minutes to prepare yourselves for this portion of the test and then you may begin."

Four Hours Later

The twins had finished their written test and were thrown into the next test immediately after. Both had looked upwards to see if their father had made it to watch, but both were too busy to really care at the time. Faith finished her potion faster, a draught of Amortensia as per the ingredients, using a cauldron made of water, heated by the flames in the air magnified over the basin. Samael brewed a strange concoction that almost resembled a healing potion, but no one was brave enough to give it a try as it didn't fit any of the descriptive markings of such. Instead they gave the twins their leave to grade the two tests and were allowed a twenty minute break to prepare for the combat test. The officiate stopped them before they made the door, "Your combat test will be you two facing each other, unless something comes up, prepare for such."

They nodded and Faith reached for the door, gasping as it swung open before she could grab it. Her father stood there with a look of fatigue upon his features, "Oh. Sorry I'm late. Did I miss the practicals? Your brother wouldn't wake up and I had some… issues to deal with."

Samael just pushed his way past Faith and his father and made his way out the doorway, but was stopped short when he turned around and wrapped his arms around his father, "at least you made it. What sort of issues are we talking about here?"

"This isn't the place to discuss it, so let's make it over to the Great Hall and we'll discuss it over a spot of breakfast."

Faith looked down at her sleepy 9 year old brother, who stumbled forth to give her a hug. She picked him up and carried him for a short distance before she realized he was too heavy for such a thing. The walk to the Great Hall was a short one and Damien sat himself down at the Ravenclaw table across from Faith and Samael, who was getting glares from his fellow housemates.

"So this is hard for me to say, but I had to break off things with Amy the other night. I took her out to see Diagon Alley and she had a panic attack. She just isn't going to get used to being around magic and now I'm being deployed all over and I don't want to put my family in any danger, that included her."

His words stung Samael, though he wouldn't show it. She wasn't family… she was an intruder. An invader even. He was happy to have her gone from his father's life once and for all. Damien continued as he took a sip of orange juice, "Well, I had to Obliviate her the other night, though I left her with some good memories of things. I saw her this morning as she came over to apologize for having started the "fight" that ended up breaking us up. She won't be around too much though… Are you still writing to her, Effie?"

"Yeah, sometimes. Should I not any more?"

"No you can still write to her, just send it to me and I'll mail it to her by muggle post. She was very fond of you. She also wanted me to tell you something Sam; she says to say sorry for anything she had done to make you not like her. I know we talked about this a lot Sam, well now that it's over, I want you to stop being so angry."

Samael nodded silently and ate only a few bites of food, knowing that it would weigh him down for the combat test. Faith followed suit and watched as their father barely ate anything while Xander began to stuff his face with everything he could get his hands on.

Damien and the twins laughed at Xander quietly before Damien turned to the twins and leaned in, "Listen, give the combat test everything you've got. Don't hold back and come at your opponent like you are going to kill them."

"But we're fighting each other, I can't kill Effie."

Damien sat back in his chair with a look of slight shock in his eyes, having thought they were going to be against others like he was. He took his drink in hand and sipped thoughtfully as he contemplated his next moves.

After a few moments, he said with a smile, "Right, well. Samael, I want you to beat your sister and Effie; I want you to beat your brother. Plain and simple. You'll have to do it or both of you will fail. We best get going or we'll be late for the match,

Everyone finished up in silence, though the chatter around them rang through the air like bells on a clear day. It was not something the students had seen before, the twins dressed up like soldiers and doing Merlin knows what. Damien quickly escorted them out of the Great Hall and into main courtyard, where the match would take place. Having been greeted by the Headmaster and the other judges, Damien caught the peculiar eye of the red headed woman, who he knew well enough to clench a fist. Damien scoffed as she smiled and walked up to him. In a sultry coo, she offered her hand to him and smirked, "Ah. Damien. It has been too long… I see you have come to watch your children grow up?"

"Morgan."

"That's General Ashcroft to you, Lieutenant. Please do remember that the next time you send an Auror to tell me to go fuck myself. It was very hard to pick up the slack left behind when the Vanguard dropped all of our contracts, but I managed just fine, no thanks to you. How is the missus?"

Damien growled under his breath and pushed his way past her to bring the kids to their mentors, "It was deserved,_ General._ And my beloved Ashley has passed well before she should have, so I would ask you to leave the conversation at that. I would ask why you are here, but I already know. My children shall make it into the Vanguard, I can guarantee that. Now, I have some prep to do."

Damien watched as the children began to do their warm ups, smiling a little as Faith changed her skirt back into pants for the combat demonstration. He quickly snuck up to the officiate and whispered something in his ear as the group gathered to begin the test.

Faith and Samael finished their warm ups and stood before their judges in attention. The officiate nodded, "Seems that we have a change in the combat test. You two will be fighting against Damien Kelmore, your father. "

Faith gasped and took a step back while Samael smirked an almost sinister grin that Damien knew as him contemplating some very evil tactics only McTavish could have devised. Minsk stood next to Alexander and patted his head, "watch carefully boy. Your turn will be coming soon and you want to learn everything you can so you can get as good as your father."

The officiate motioned to Damien to stand before the children, "Damien, you already know the rules of this test. Do you agree to uphold the traditions of these proceedings and not allow them the upper hand?"

"I do."

"Very well. This test is a combat evaluation. It should be taken seriously and the combatants should not hold back anything. We will intervene if we find that the test has become too dangerous for any combatant. State your names and proficiencies please, starting with you Damien."

"Damien Kelmore, elementalist."

"Ashley Faith Kelmore, Air and Water."

"Samael Nikolas Kelmore, Earth and hand to hand combat."

"Very well, you may begin whenever you are ready."

Damien stood before his children with look of joy upon his features. He took a step forward and let his fingers run through his hair as he spoke, "I wish your mother could be here to watch you like she watched me when I took this test. You two have become so strong and intelligent. I'm so proud of you both, but don't take me lightly. I will show you no mercy or compassion. I told you to kill your opponent and now I am that opponent. I want you to kill me."

"Dad I can't…" squeaked Faith.

"YOU MUST! If you want to survive this fight and become an alchemist if the Vanguard, here is your chance. Win, for me, for your mother and for yourselves. There's no turning back now, Effie. Use what you know to survive; use what I've shown you to live. Samael, I don't need to explain anything to you. You look ready."

"I've been ready, just waiting on you, dad," Said he as he took an offensive stance to begin his attack

Damien exhaled sharply and drew his cloak off in one quick swoop, distracting the twins for a moment as he disappeared behind the cloak. Faith looked confused until she heard the faint sound of someone shifting behind them. She sidestepped and threw her arm in front of her face as Damien reappeared with a punch towards her head. Samael instinctively threw his fist down towards his midsection and countered a simultaneous knee strike that Damien had thrown. The twins gave a quick glance to each other and synchronized their attack, a palm strike to the midsection.

Damien was sent hurdling backwards, which followed with a wave of earthen spikes from the ground as Samael stomped his foot into the damn grass. Faith sent a gust of air followed by a blade of water from the fountain adjacent, all of which their father expertly weaved and dodged through. The twins moved in close both attacking at the same time with a flurry of kicks and punches that Damien just deflected with ease until they changed their movements to something more to their own styles. Faith attempted a jump spin kick, which Damien stopped short by grabbing her leg mid spin while Samael tried to sweep.

Damien kicked Samael backwards, forcing him to do a handspring to regain his balance. Mid spring, Damien threw Faith at him, but she twisted and sprung off of her brother's feet as he turned to throw herself into the air. Faith quickly drew the gloves from her pocket and clapped them together, sending a wave of air that knocked Damien's wind out while Samael bull rushed him using the earth like a giant shield.

Having been knocked about a few times, Damien rose to his feet and wiped a trickle of blood from his lips and chuckled as he stretched out his arms, "good. Now that we have an understanding, let's get this party started," then let out a vicious war cry as he charged into the kids…

Some Time After:

Damien sat on the floor with a bottle of water in hand while the mediwitchs tended two the twins, who were both somewhat conscious on the floor. They had given him a good run, but were still out matched by their veteran father. They both came around and were given water and something to help regenerate blood and heal the injuries they sustained, while the officiate came by to announce the scores.

"Suffice it to say, you have amazing combat skills, both of you. However, only Faith passed the tests. Samael, you needed to pass two of the three tests with a score of 92 percent or higher. Your knowledge and practicals were both 80 and 90 percent respectively. Unfortunately, you will not be allowed to take the Oath until you've passed. You may try again next year with the other normal applicants. Faith you scored 100 percent on your practicals and a 96 percent on the written, but you scored an 84 on your combat. You will take the Oath whenever you feel you are ready today. Congratulations," he said shaking her hand and walking away.

Samael was fuming, but in too much pain to do anything about it. He couldn't have failed. He was supposed to be the top fighter and now he wasn't even allowed to try again until next year. Faith was ushered off towards the castle as the red headed woman knelt before Samael. He got a good look into her eyes, one red, one blue as she spoke to him in the same sultry tone as before, "Well, it seems these fools underestimate you. You may have not been accepted into the Vanguard, but I can offer you something better. I know about the pain you feel, the anger that dwells in your mind. I can teach you things these fools could never do, but you must keep this from them," she said nodding towards Samael's father, "If he finds out, he won't be too happy. I will contact you soon boy."


	31. Chapter 31: The Truth in the Lie

_**((This is the last Chapter in the story folks. I really hope you enjoyed this book! I enjoyed writing it over the years. Way too many rewrites and copies lost. I will make sure to start on the edits for the next book as soon as humanly possible. Stay tuned for The Alchemist Saga: Betrayal. As usual, please follow and review. I would love to have more followers.))**_

"This was it", he thought, tonight I will set it all straight. For you mum." The tall figure sank down to the site of his mother's grave. He fussed with the weeds around the tree, pulling them and sending them to the wind.

"I will make sure that I set all this straight for you, mum."

He had been on one of his many secret visits to his sister's grave, when the other young man had appeared. Aaron had Disillusioned himself and moved into the shadows to watch. The young man looked familiar...

As he started talking, Aaron realized who this was. This was Samael, Ashley's oldest son. Thoughts of revenge against Damien conflicted with his desire to defend Ash's child, but he didn't need to choose. The boy wanted revenge for his mom...not many had hurt her in any way. Only Damien. A cold smirk wormed his way onto his face, and Aaron released the spell, stepping into the light.

"Samael," he murmured. "Recognize me?" He drew back his dark hood, his mask safely hidden within his robes and his sleeves hiding the Dark Mark on his left arm.

Samael spun around; raise a gloved hand to snap his fingers and his wand at the figure catching the venom of his voice in the air. When he revealed his face and the Dark Mark, Samael lowered his hand but not the wand, "Uncle Aaron. It's been to long... a year or so I'd take it. What are you doing here?"

Aaron shrugged. "I usually visit your mother a few times a week. Not important." He took a few slow steps closer. "You desire vengeance for your mother, who was wronged in life, and now requires the revenge she rightly deserves. I am here to open the door to you, to show you all the ways of magic, to make you powerful enough to avenge your mother, and gain the respect you deserve. All will regret the day they overlooked you." He sidled closer. "All those annoying others in Hogwarts...those that did not see you for the powerful wizard and alchemist you are...those who overlooked you, or insulted your mother and your heritage...even your father, who closed the only connection your mother had with her own family, and may have caused her to pine away inside, bringing her death."

He paused. "I can show you the ways you need to accomplish...without being tracked down. Without others interfering. My father could show you even more ways." A slow smirk spread across his face. "But you have to want the power...it is not for everyone. Do you? Are you the man that can avenge your mother, and bring her peace?"

Samael thought for a moment as now he had the chance to bring his mother some solace. It pained him to think that he couldn't bring her back, but he knew this as a truth after studying with his grandfather for a short time after having left Hogwarts, but he could do other things. Terrible things and his father would stand by helplessly to watch.

"I am. Take me to your father, Uncle. I want to see the look on my father's face as I drain the last ounces of life from him."

"I see you two finally got a chance to catch up," came a sultry voice from behind a tree. A tall slender figure stepped out and Samael fell to a knee and bowed, "Milady Ashcroft. It's always a pleasure to see you once more. I've done all you've asked and I've studied what you have sent."

"Well then boy, its time to learn something new. Aaron Selwyn, I'm assuming?" She said, glancing at Aaron hungrily with her multicolored eyes.

"You would presume right, _milady._ And who are you to have my nephew on his knee to bow?"

"You should have recognized me the moment you saw me… While you are a follower of the Dark Lord, I am his adviser, if you will. Samael is my protégé and now, you will take him to see your father and soon, you will help him get the revenge you so aptly desire," she said as she took quick steps around Aaron, with her arm around his shoulder. Aaron shrugged the woman off and gave her a wary glance.

"The alchemist, I forgot. I've never trusted you."

"And you probably never will," She muttered nonchalantly, leaning up against a tree, "Because of the fact that I am a vampire, you will never trust me, but because Severus and Narcissa both trust me, you will have to take me on my word that I am your ally. We don't have all night, Selwyn. Take him to your father, teach him what he needs to know and get this whole business done with quickly. My sources tell me that any delay will end with all of us dead."

"Very well. Come, Samael. We'll go see my father," said he as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and Apparated away.

A Few Days Later

Samael looked around with a cold glance as the lights to the street flickered uneasily; he felt a shiver of doubt run up and down his spine. These were his grandparents, they helped raise him as a child and now, he was to slaughter them like cattle. It was a necessity to his plans, but he felt it as being wrong. Beside him was Aaron, whose smile widened at the thought of finally starting to get revenge on the Kelmore's for having taken away his dear sister.

"Samael, we must be silent, but be prepared for a fight. You know your grandparents well, so this should be a surprise attack."

"Yes," he said coldly as he made several soft steps forward. Casting a charm on the door, he quickly unlocked it in silence, motioning for Aaron to follow him. As they passed the basement door, he motioned toward the door and whispered, "The best option is a stealth attack on my grandfather, but not while he's downstairs. Cast a silencing charm on the hallway down there so he won't here us. I'll take care of my grandmother…"

He felt the words choke in his throat as he spoke, but tightened his grip on his wand as he carefully treaded up the stairs. To his left was his grandmother's room and to the right was his aunt's room. He motioned for Aaron to move into his grandmother's room with him as he drew a dagger from his belt. With swift and defined movements, he placed a hand over her mouth and drove the dagger into her heart before she had a chance to realize what was going on. It was then, as the blood oozed from her body as did the life, he felt a calm wash over him. He quickly drew the dagger from the body and moved onto the next room.

He nudged Aaron and whispered, "Remove the charm on the hallway. We'll torture my aunt and her screams will draw him into the room. Hide in the corner where he cant see you and I'll make the kill," said he as Aaron left to do the deed. Samael walked into the room on silent feet and pointed the wand at the sleeping figure. For a moment he hesitated and in that moment, Amanda awoke and let out a scream of terror which continued to echo throughout the house as Samael hit her with the Cruciatus Curse. While she writhed in agony on her bed, Aaron watched as Damien's father rush up the stairs. There was a brief pause of silence, followed by a flash of green light. The screams continued to echo throughout the house as Samael walked down the steps.

"It's done."

"What about your aunt? She still needs to be taken care of."

"She will be dead soon. Set the house on fire, she won't be able to escape while still under the affects of the Cruciatus curse. Now we move against my father," said he as Aaron began to set random things on fire with his wand. He walked downstairs to the basement and began to gather the books he knew were valuable.

He came back up with a small bag in hand and looked to Aaron, "We must move quickly before my father finds out, otherwise he will flee and it'll be impossible to get a hold of him if he goes to the Vanguard Capitol."

The silver turned to darkness and the darkness was pierced by a scream of terror and a candle. Faith was clutching her head in agony as a nightmare washed over her. Visions… things that she was never expecting to see; her twin brother, Samael going on a killing spree. She shook off anyone who tried to grab her that moment, which included the High General herself who stood next to her with another of her faithful guards. Finally with a quick slap across her face, the High General got Faith to calm down.

"What is it dear? You've practically waken up the barracks. What could have you in such a stir to scream like a banshee?"

"I saw him… Samael. He killed my grandparents."

The High General looked to her guard with a grim expression and put an arm around her, "Siren, grab her other side. Help me bring her to my room." The other girl obliged and lifted the trembling Faith through the halls, yelling at other soldiers to get back into their bunks. It wasn't a long trip back, but to Faith, it felt like forever. She was sat down on a rickety old chair and given a glass of tonic to drink, "What did you see girl… explain it all to me."

Faith looked up, still terrified as she sipped away at the tonic, "Samael took a family heirloom of my grandfathers. A book on necromancy."

"The Book of the Living, I presume? Your grandfather's priceless work. Go on."

"There was silence, red oozing everywhere. Then a few flashing lights and screams… then black. Cold, unending black.

"What did the colors look like? What did it feel like? I NEED DETAILS!"

"The colors were… realistic…. It all felt real. That's all I can tell…"

Suddenly she was overcome by another fit of visions. The glass she held fell in silence to her cries of pain as a shadowy beast came into her mind; its low growl was loud enough to blow out her ear drums. Then her father and younger brother, Alexander were huddled into the corner of a room, whispering. Her father kissed Alexander's head and told him to hide as he ran out of the room, fighting his own eldest son. They fired spell after spell, wave after wave and swing after swing at each other until it ended. The vision blurred with her father dying on the floor.

Faith sat on the floor in tears, gasping for air as she finally regained control of her body, "my father… my father!"

She tried to stand, but the High General held her down with a forceful hand, "What happened?"

"My father is dead too… So is Alexander."

"Are you sure?

"I saw a great beast of shadows and flames and my father hiding little Xander into a closet to keep him safe. Then they…"

The High General sat down with a tremble in her knees and hands, rubbing her face. A messenger ran into the room and gave a curt bow as he delivered a scroll to Siren. Siren in turn read the scroll out loud, "Mistress… the Lieutenant General Kelmore has died. The house was set on fire. No sign of who did it."

"This cannot be. Faith, are blessed with having a natural gift, but I'm afraid to say that you're natural gift could also be a terrible curse. You, my dear girl are a Psion. What you are seeing is fragments of a future that could be if left unchanged. Get her some cloths to get out of that night gown. Faith, you must go to your father and brother immediately."

Siren ran off to grab the clothing while Faith looked up in shock at her tutor and mentor, "So they're safe?"

"For now, yes. They won't be much longer, I can assure you that much."

Within a few minutes, she got her clothing and small dagger. She got dressed quickly in the General's private quarters, without a word and ran back out, looking for some kind of hope from her as she shifted into dust.

The scene went black for a moment, then the colors rolled in. Faith stood now at the doorstep of her Father's house. She hit the door with all of her might, trying to rouse anyone who was awake, or at least not dead yet. Her father looked up from the living room table to the sounds of someone frantically knocking at his door. He grabbed a small shiv and held it behind his back as he looked through the peephole, "Faith?"

He quickly opened the door got a quizzical look before a desperate flinging of arms around him. Apparently she missed him. Damien looked slightly haggard, though still youthful; time had taken its toll on him after what happened to Ashley, his wife. Faith looked around the room, with a knife drawn as she closed the door behind her, "Dad, where's Xander?"

"He's upstairs asleep? What is this all about? Why are you armed? Faith, talk to me."

"Where's Samael?"

"You know where he is! He left with your grandfather. Faith, tell me what has you on edge!"

She put away her dagger and forced herself down on the couch, "it's a bit of a long story."

"I'm all ears. Besides, the real question is why are you here? I was under the impression that the Old Lady wasn't going to be able to let you out today."

"She wasn't. I still went to the grave to pay my respects, if you hadn't seen it."

"I did, but continue."

"The High General thinks I may be a Psion. I saw Samael killing grams and gramps then I saw him killing you and Xander."

"Samael? My Samael? He couldn't hurt a damn thing! Which makes me wonder how he will do as a necromancer? I can't believe the crap I'm hearing."

"It's tr…"

"Its bullocks, Faith. My son is no killer."

"Mistress Collette has the report on her saying they found him dead… Grandma Elyse too."

"Death Eaters… that is not my son. Death Eaters did it then… these vile people. You know who could have done it. Your uncle. He's always had it out for us."

"DAD! Listen to me. You must come away tonight."

Damien paced around for a moment and shook his head, "I'll need a minute. Maybe I need a drink… care for one?"

"Dad I'm underage."

"In my house, it doesn't matter," He said as he poured two shot of expensive scotch and brought one over to his daughter, "If you don't I will. Now… let's calm down here a moment. Where is he now?"

Faith took in a deep breath and drank the scotch in one gulp, making a horrified face at its taste, "unknown. They couldn't find him."

"It'll take a little time to get everything together, especially since I'm working on something big upstairs."

Faith turned to her father, looking slightly confused for a moment before getting the burning sensation and the feeling of wooziness as the liquor hit her right then, "define a big thing?"

"I was reading through my father's books and I came across something. The Books of Order and Chaos are written strangely. Come up and look." He motioned towards the stairs, waiting for her to get up and move. Once up and around, Faith made her way quickly up the stairs, into her father's study where on the hardwood floors sat two books in specific spots on a red chalk-drawn seal. The elegant seal splintered off into different directions, but all met up in the same spots. Damien picked up the books and handed her one, "Read it… that one is Chaos."

She picked it up and flipped its pages, finding nothing but gibberish, written in some older language. She looked up and shown him the page. He flipped through the book he had to the page she was on and revealed what looked to be a codex translating how the page was to be read.

"This is the decoder; that is the manual. These books contain the secrets of how to summon beasts of the elements. There was a chapter talking about how to integrate these two books and gain a power unknowable. I was going to attempt it."

"Dad, that's suicide. What if it goes wrong?"

"I don't know what will happen. All I know is nothing will come of it if I don't. Ever since you're mum died, I've been meaning to try it, but I've been afraid. I want to be with her, but I very well can't leave you alone, now can I?" Faith smiled a little, feeling a tiny bit more relaxed than she was before.

There was a gentle knock on the door that made Faith jump, the sharp pains of a vision came back to her with a vengeance. She saw herself using the seal on the floor only to find it not work; Xander was nearby watching in fear. Damien grabbed Faith and sat her down on the desk, "you ok?"

The pain subsided and she came back around, hearing the gentle rapping against the door, "yeah."

"Stay here," He said as he walked away from her to go answer the door. It took her a moment to realize what was going on. Her father was already downstairs by the time she was at the balcony over the living room, "DON'T ANSWER IT!"

Damien scowled as he opened it to find the High General's guard Siren standing and staring blankly. The sound of a blade entering her back made Damien jump back as the retching sound came from the woman, who was now tossed onto the floor. A wicked smile and a dark voice rang into the ears of everyone there, "hello father."

Damien tried to move for an attack but the room lit up in with a gigantic flame that sent him flying back. He was trained well enough to block by raising a shield of air between him and the fire. Samael, as Faith had predicted, was here to kill. He sent another salvo of flaming bolts to his father, all of which were blocked and returned.

"Now, now father. Play nice. You cooperate and I promise to let Alexander die quickly."

'Samael, what in hell has gotten into you? FAITH GET XANDER AND GET OUT OF HERE NOW!'

Faith was stunned a moment, snapping out of her daze to dodge a bolt of black and purple energy. Another came close to hitting her, but a shield of light deflected it. She stood up, hating that she had been right, "You can't harm me with necromantic energies."

'Right. Goody two shoes sister of mine was fortunate enough to get the abilities of healing. Try this!'

A bolt of fire zoomed past her head and erupted into an inferno, which was quelled by Damien, who used it to hit Samael with. He took the opportunity to grab his sword from its holder in the hutch as Samael recovered from his stun and he took a wild swing at him. Once he locked swords with him, he looked him straight in the eyes, "Why are we fighting father? I want the Books of Chaos and Order. I want the power they will grant. Give them to me and I'll grant you a swift death as well."

"Go to hell," He used the wind to push his son out the doorway into the open field in front of the house. There were no houses for at least a mile so at least no one would have seen. Damien looked to Faith and gave a quick smile, "Protect Xander with your life. Get those books and get out of here with him. I'll stall him long enough to give you the time to get out."

She reached out for her father, but he ran outside, rapier in hand, watching his son recover from the attack. Samael ran towards Damien and the two continued their fight. Inside, Faith ran back into the hallway to find Xander outside the doorway, rubbing his eyes sleepily, "Effie? What's going on? Where's daddy?"

'No time, Kiddo. We need to go.'

'Where's dad!?'

She picked him up and wrapped his arms around her neck, "Dad will be with us soon, just come on. We gotta go." She ran to her father's study, catching a moment of the fight that was ensuing outside. There was a brief hesitation in Damien's swings and Faith could see why. He couldn't kill his own son, but he had to keep everyone else safe. Dodge, parry, step back, duck, jump, swing, swing, swing. Her father moved with a swift elegance that was indicative of her father's skills as an alchemist. He looked to Faith from the field as there was a pause and closed his eyes, "I'm so sorry… Ashley, I'll be with you soon dear."

He turned and deflected, turning his saber around to stab him from behind, but felt cold steel in his back, running all the way through him. He coughed up blood and whispered Ashley's name before Samael could turn the blade, breaking his spine and killing the man with a clean kill.

Faith tried to keep Xander from seeing it, but it was too late. He screamed in anger, trying to get away from Faith as she carried him off quickly into the study. She locked the door behind herself and ran to put Xander under the desk, for safety sake. She looked at him with a pain in her eyes, fighting back the tears that she would cry later so she could do her job now, "Xander, stay right here. Don't move for anything until I come back for you, you understand? I need to do something."

'Faith! Please I want dad!'

'Xander, I promise, we'll see dad once I'm done here. Now please sit there quietly!'

She picked up the red chalk off of the desk and finished off the seal on the floor, "if Samael is strong enough to kill dad, then I need the extra firepower to kill him. I don't have enough time to get help." She stood in the center and picked up the books, skimming through it quickly to find the page that defined what must have been done for the transmutation. Once she found it, she began reading it with the translator, "got it!"

The door blew in, whizzing past Faith, making her drop the books back into the seal. Samael smirked triumphantly, watching as Faith stood there with anger in her eyes, "come get some!"

'Hand over the books, Faith.'

'Over my dead body.'

'Well that's kinda the point.'

He took a swing at her, missing and putting the sword through the wall. He drew it out as she grabbed him and tossed him through the wall, where the desk Xander was under. Faith ran out and began throwing punches, reaching for her dagger to take a few swings. Xander scurried out from the desk, hoping to try and hide the books from his older brother. Out of the corner of Samael's eye, he saw the little boy grab the books and he grabbed the dagger from Faith, tossing her into the balcony. The dagger flew midair at Xander as soon as it was out of Faith's hands, striking him square in the chest.

Faith screamed with dread as she grabbed her brother and tossed him off of the balcony. She ran into the room to find her brother, lying on his side in a pool of blood… in the shape of a glowing red seal? The seal had activated and a bright red light filled the room as the books slowly melted into the liquid that was once blood. It turned a vile shade of black and blue and the light dimmed. Samael ran back upstairs, "NOOOO! MY BOOKS! You'll pay for this FAITH!"

He took another swing at her, this time, tripping her and prepared to drive the blade into her head, "you cost me eternal power! Time for you to go, dear sister."

A strange rush of pressure knocked Samael over and the dead boy that was lying on the floor was up and around, eyes blazing with an icy blue fire that made him look more dangerous than he was. He took the dagger out of his chest and tossed it at his brother, pegging him in the shoulder, sending him over the balcony. Xander disappeared from Faith's sight as he reappeared downstairs next to Samael, grabbing him by the hair and throwing him outside. Samael tried to send a stream of fire towards his brother, but it faded into the boy's palm where it swelled for a moment and split into two orbs that he dropped to the ground. The orbs broke and formed what seemed to be a wolf from its flames, no fur, no eyes, just fire. They charged at him.

Samael looked in amazement, wanting this power for his own, "It must be mine!"

He swung his sword, taking each flame wolf out, moving closer to his target; once within range, he aimed to cleave Xander in two, but a force stopped him. A white light emanated around him and the forms of both Damien and Ashley Kelmore stood behind their son. In front the forms of three warrior kings all holding weapons stood in defense of the boy. Xander quickly let off a blast of fire into Samael's chest, then turned to his parents, who rubbed his head with their spirit hands, "It isn't your time Xander. The Three Kings will guide you."

He moved quickly with the elegance that his father had before he died, waving his hand here, forcing the elements to do his will as he willed it. The night sky above swirled around, until it cleared to the bright full moon. Blue glowing seals illuminated Xander as he clapped a hand together and made them appear around him. The earth began to tremble underneath him then his form entirely disappeared as the shadows and dust from the ground kicked up. All that was left was a pair of eyes that changed from blue to red. A deafening roar echoed and the dust cleared away as the wing beats of a monster sent waves of superheated air at its prey. The massive figure itself burned like magma and its claws gripped around a long whip with blades along its length.

The whip cracked harshly at Samael, forcing him to move to avoid being vaporized by its heated blades. He dodged again, trying to find a way to kill it, but to no avail. He quickly shifted away, leaving the beast to char the very grounds it stood on. It released another deafening roar, shattering all the glass in the house before disappearing into the dust whence it came.

Xander's form came back into view from Faith's point of view watching as the fire left his eyes, as well as his strength. She rushed to catch him from touching the scorched earth and held onto her brother tightly as the winds kicked up the flames. As she gazed outwardly towards the darkness, she saw a figure staring back at her with a menacing gaze, but she knew better than to pursue. Only a few feet away from her was her father, whose face looked peaceful.

Trying to keep the tears from falling from her eyes, she forced herself to not move any closer, but her heart screamed in sorrow. Several forms materialized before her, one of them was the High General, who immediately cried out in anger. She began to bark orders, sending soldiers every where to search the area, a few to handle the fire. She treaded carefully to Faith and knelt to touch Damien's hand, "I'm sorry old friend. Faith; we need to leave now. Come with me. You two, bring him to the White City."

'Milady! We found Siren… She's been murdered.'

"Bring her back as well. I am taking Faith back to the city. I want no less then ten men here for some time to handle taking care of the scene. Once we have debriefed Faith, she will be allowed to go in and take whatever personal effects that she would like to gather," she said turning to Faith and grabbing her shoulder, shifting away.


	32. Epilogue: A Diary For Eternity

Faith carefully made her way through the wreckage that was her father's home, the charred remains of the house she spent only a short time of her life in. She was glad the Vanguard doctors were watching after Xander right now; he didn't need to see any of this. What worried her was that he hadn't woken up since Samael came to kill them only a few days before. She treaded softly as she looked for any old family portraits or anything worth salvaging.

Making her way to the stairwell, she stepped cautiously upwards as there may have been structural damage. A voice echoed out behind her, making her clutch onto the handrails as if they were lifelines for survival, "Petty Officer?"

"Jeez! Don't scare me like that, Mr. McTavish."

"Its Ryan or Lieutenant, Effie. You need help up there? I found a few albums here your father had stashed away. Got a box of your mother's stuff from before she died too. I can have them taken to the other house by the cemetery."

The other house… a place she didn't want to visit for a long while. Per her father's wishes, the house and its contents were left to her and a woman named Meghan had received ownership of the children's money until such a time as they were old enough to manage it themselves. Faith made sure Samael wasn't able to get his money by liquidating his account.

She nodded , "I'm sure I'll be fine. I just need to check the library and then we can go to the funeral," then continued up the stairs to the room where her father worked, where Xander turned into that thing… that monster. Inside, the room looked untouched, though the door was scorched pretty badly. She quickly looked through the books she thought were important and set them aside on the table, until she came across a small brown leather-bound book. She flipped through it and smiled, recognizing the handwriting as her mother's. It was her diary.

Making one last pass through the room, she gathered a few more books and odds and ends and stuffed them into a bag that was enchanted to hold much more than it looked. She quickly headed downstairs and looked at McTavish's face as he tried desperately to hold his composure at the sight of the devastation, "This shouldn't have happened. There's no words to describe how angry I am with myself. I shoulda seen it in his training…"

'Its not your fault or anyone else's for that matter. It was Samael seeking power where it should have been left. Lets go sir, we don't want to be late…"

McTavish nodded and gathered the stuff from outside and shifted away, leaving Faith alone to reminisce for a moment. She quickly shifted and a shiver ran up her spine as the old house came into view. McTavish, already having gone inside, left the door open for her. She walked inside, hesitantly, feeling the tears well up. Everything that was left there, was still there, a few photos, books and such. All of their brooms, both the twin's and Damien and Ashley's were mounted to the wall, covered in dust and time.

"L-l-lets go," she said with a quiver in her voice.

They left everything they brought with them in what was the living room and went out the backdoor into the forest that would be her father's resting place, next to her mother and late infant brother, whom she never got a chance to meet. The walk was short and quiet, but full of tension and pain… each step brought them closer to what they all wished had never happened.

In front of a huge willow tree next to a small waterfall, was the High General and several others who were friends of her family... She and her brothers were all that were left of her family. The once green and lush forest was now a clashing of red, yellow and grey. Leaves fell from the trees as though the forest cried in agony for the loss of a dear friend, as they had done so many years before when Ashley died. The group had all circled around three caskets, which rose a choked up question in Faith's mind, "I thought my brother killed everyone at my grandfather's?"

"We were unable to find your aunt, Amanda. Either he has her or she burned up in the fire. We will find her, Faith," said the High General.

Faith pulled from her pocket two books, the first she set on her father's casket and the other she set where she knew her mother was buried; marked by flowers of the brightest hues of color and a plaque of her and Damien together and their names. She took a few steps back and looked to McTavish, "Please send this book down to my mother. It should always stay with her."

"What is it?" Someone asked tearfully.

'Dad's diary. He always wrote to her, everyday without fail. Dad would want her to have it."

'How do you know that its for her? Did you read any of it?'

'No… because my dad would read through hers little by little over and over again. Its only fair she gets to read his now.'


End file.
